P4: Eversion
by Azaelynn
Summary: After tragedy strikes, Souji Seta returns to Inaba, only to be faced with a new crisis beyond his imagining that will require all his strength to prevent. He will also need to find new strength to help him.. WILL HAVE SLASH
1. Chapter 1

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 1

It was startling, really, at how similar things were to a year previous when he'd taken this same train to the small town of Inaba, where his life had been changed forever.

And now his life was changed again.

Only a few hours ago, Souji Seta had attended his parents' funerals, and he was still reeling from it. Just a few weeks ago, he had felt happy that, while he was leaving behind all his friends, with all of whom he'd formed deep and unbreakable bonds, he'd being seeing his parents for the first time in just under a year.

The night he'd arrived home, Souji had surprised his mother by enveloping her in a warm hug, repeating the process with his father before talking long into the night with them about many things, enjoying their company and presence as they caught up with one another.

Also, Souji had discovered, to his surprise, that he still had the power given to him by Izanami to go into the TV. Of course, he hadn't tried it out with large, people-sized TVs, and he had been considering telling his mother about the Midnight Channel, and the shadow world, and everything that had occurred concerning it.

But then, there was the accident. Souji had been at home, cooking dinner for when his parents were due back from a quick trip to the local grocery store when he'd gotten the call from the hospital.

His father had died in surgery as he'd gotten to the hospital, and a police officer had explained what had happened. A drunk driver in a large pickup truck had been speeding, and had run through the red light of the intersection just as his mother's smaller car was going through. She had died at the scene, before the ambulance and paramedics could arrive.

Souji couldn't really remember the rest of that night, or much of the next day, until the call from Dojima had come. The police had called him, informing him of the situation, and he had immediately offered to take him in, for as long as he needed, and Souji was grateful for that.

Dojima had taken care of everything over the phone, unable to leave Inaba because Nanako still wasn't fully recovered from her kidnapping, and he even took a few days off from work at the station to help him with getting the funerals organized, to settling his parents' accounts and affairs. Then, the plan was, once Souji was settled back in Inaba, Dojima would sell the house in the city, as Souji had no desire to remain there, and the money earned from the sale would go into a trust fund for Souji. It was to be used for college, or even buying a house of his own later.

There were other things, but Souji was too numb at the moment to think much about it, so he focused on staring out the window at the passing countryside, just like he'd done last year when he'd taken the train to Inaba the first time.

With a small sigh, he glanced down to his lap where in one hand he held two photos. One photo was one he'd taken with his parents, practically when they'd picked him from the train station when he's left Inaba. They were both smiling, waving at the camera, and he'd never be able to see them again.

The second photo was the last one he'd taken with his friends, before he'd left, and he remembered the happiness he'd felt then. He was in the center, a rare smile on his lips, standing just behind was Kanji and Dojima. Chie and Yukiko were on the other side, with Yosuke in between him and the girls. The younger girls, Rise and Naoto were in front of him, with Nanako in the middle, and Teddie was beside Kanji. Everyone was smiling in the picture, and Souji recalled all the bonds he shared with them.

His eyes kept seeking out the young man that was his best friend, with whom he'd developed one of his first Social Links, and the first one of their rag-tag group to fight beside him.

Yosuke Hanamura, manager's son of the Junes department store, Social Link of the Magician Arcana, and his best friend. But as he stared at the photo, Souji found himself admiring the other teen in a way he'd only done before with the girls, fondly recalling the fire in Yosuke's warm brown eyes when in battle, and the playful grin he'd sport when teasing Kanji, and Souji felt his face warm as a light blush touched his cheeks.

He tore his gaze away from the photo, focusing once again on the passing landscape out the window. There was no way he could be thinking of Yosuke like that! His emotions were just going haywire, what with everything that's already happened to him, emotionally. That was it.

Still, he had missed the other teen, maybe a little more than he'd missed the others. There was something about him that drew Souji in, and he knew, somehow, that Yosuke would always be there, right beside him, to help him get through his recent loss.

Briefly, he wondered if any of his friends knew anything about the accident that had claimed his parents. They probably didn't, since Dojima was sensible and had mostly likely figured that Souji wouldn't be able to handle all of his friends in his current state. He'd have to thank his uncle later for that.

Souji's gray eyes were heavy, and his heart was numb, as he felt sleep's grasp reaching for him. He was on the final stretch before Yasoinaba Station, but he'd been going for hours, and he was more than ready for at least a few minutes of somewhat restful sleep.

Souji allowed his eyes to slip closed, and he had the faintest feeling of running along a set of train tracks before his eyes opened again on their own accord.

He was in a private train car, dark with shades and hues of blue, the view outside the window filled with nothing but millions of twinkling stars, and in the seat across from him was a familiar face, one who gazed back at him with surprise and a little sadness.

"Welcome, once again, to the Velvet Room." Igor had not changed, even in the slightest. "it has so far been unprecedented for a previous guest to return to the Velvet Room once their challenge has been met, and they have fulfilled their contract, but it would that Fate is not yet done with you."

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" Souji asked, not really expecting a straight answer.

The Master of the Velvet Room slowly shook his head, but with a small wave of his white-gloved hand, familiar tarot cards appeared face down in mid air.

"When a guest of the Wild Card first joins me, I am able to give them insight of an upcoming challenge or trial in their future, as I did so with you during our first encounter; however, I will only tell you one thing, since I am still as of now unaware of any prevailing trial in the immediate future. When I know more, I shall certainly inform you directly."

Souji nodded, satisfied. It was better than he'd expected.

With a flick of his wrist, Igor revealed the first card, which Souji recognized immediately.

"Ah, the Magician in the upright position. Now, under normal circumstances, this card would indicate your recognition of your potential, and a willingness to take risks. We already know of your infinite potential, and our current circumstances are rather unusual. I believe this card represents someone close to you; a great ally, a friend, or perhaps something more, and that you should be willing to take a risk with that someone." Igor shrugged. "The meaning should become clear to you with time."

"I understand."

Igor smiled his creepy grin. "Excellent! The next card is The Fool, also in the upright position, meaning that this coming year will be a journey full of important decisions to make. But I do not believe that surprises you."

And Igor was right; Souji wasn't surprised at the second card.

"Then, until the next we meet." Igor's voice whispered through his mind as the Velvet Room faded from view, delving him in darkness.

He woke up, raising his head from where his chin had rested on his chest, as the train pulled into the station. He grabbed his bags and left the train, seeking out his family.

Ryotaro Dojima stood waiting for him in front of the station, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the front of his car. He looked up, catching sight of Souji and hurried over to help him with his bags.

"Does anyone know I'm here yet?"

Dojima shook his head. "No, I haven't told anyone, but I think that Nanako's made a guess. She won't say anything. I figured that you would want to tell your friends when you were ready, and not before."

"Thank you."

Dojima shrugged as they piled everything in the car and pulled away from the station and he glanced at his nephew. "I know it's hard, and I'll miss them too, but you'll always be family to us. Remember, I told you before that you're more like a very young brother to me. I don't want you to forget that."

Souji managed to smile weakly. "I remember that. I know."

The car ride into town was blissfully quiet, and Dojima avoided most of the areas his nephew had frequented, instead taking a more roundabout route back to his home. It wasn't until they pulled into the small driveway in front of the house that he spoke again. "I do have one of your friends watching over Nanako, since she's still recovering from her... ordeal."

While Souji was a little nervous to be so close to one of his friends, he understood his uncle's concerns for his cousin, especially since her kidnapping back in November. She had only been in the other world for a few days, but it had severely jeopardized her health afterwards. So he understood he couldn't fault his uncle for keeping someone with her. "So who is it?"

"That Junes boy, uh, Yosuke Hanamura. Since he lives nearby, I've had him over to watch Nanako, keep her company, whenever I'm not at home." Dojima smiled wryly. "Probably the only one of your friends who will keep quiet and not make a fuss about your... sudden return."

Yosuke. Souji was glad, relieved, really, especially since the other teen had been on his mind a lot recently; even Igor had made mention of him, in his own fashion.

"He's cool. I can handle seeing him, and I'll always be happy to see Nanako, but I'm not ready yet for the others."

Dojima nodded, hauling his bags out from the backseat of the car. "Yeah, I thought as much. Let's get inside."

As they opened the door to the house and took off their shoes, Nanako came running around the corner with a smile on her small face. "Dad's home!"

She paused, seeing Souji there, luggage at his feet and a downcast look in his eyes before rushing him, throwing her arms around his waist. He dropped down to her level and hugged her, holding her tightly.

"You're back!" She said, excited, before she grew solemn. "Did something bad happen?"

Tears pricked at his gray eyes and he nodded into her small shoulder. "Yeah, something happened."

Just at that moment, Yosuke walked around the corner, his warm, carefree smile fading instantly at the tragic sight in front of him. Dojima was standing there, looking away from his nephew and Souji was hugging Nanako as though afraid to lose her, and his grief was almost tangible in that small hallway, thick and oppressive.

"Um, Dojima-san, did you need me for anything else?" He asked softly, awkwardly.

The detective nodded. "I need to put Nanako to bed, so could help him with his stuff?"

Souji let go of his cousin and got to his feet, surreptitiously wiping away his tears as Yosuke came closer. Without a word, the slightly smaller teen grabbed one of his bags and followed Souji upstairs to his room.

The room was exactly as he'd remembered leaving it, barren of anything even remotely personal and, somehow, colder. The futon was still in the corner, out of the way of the dresser and desk. It looked like Dojima had pulled everything out again, once again turning the room into a living space.

With a small sigh, Souji dropped the large duffel he;d been carrying on the floor and sank onto the couch, eyes closed. His thoughts had once again decided to replay the accident and the funerals, reminding him of why he was now back in this room.

He heard some shuffling around, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't care to; didn't want to. It was only when a hand lightly touched his shoulder that he looked to see who was there.

Oh. He'd forgotten that Yosuke was there. His best friend was standing in front of him; hand on his shoulder and the same set of headphones hanging around his neck. He looked worried, or concerned, with a spark of something else that Souji couldn't identify, and it struck him that those emotions were for him.

"Futon's ready when you are."

"Oh. Thank you."

Yosuke nodded, moving away, and Souji suddenly wanted him to stay. "It's no problem. I won't ask what happened, and I won't tell the others if that's what you want, but if you need anything, anytime, you know I'm only a phone call away."

"Thank you."

"Seriously, you can call if you need to, for anything." Right then, Souji was aware of his friend's soothing effect; he could still feel the terrible grief of his parents' deaths, but with Yosuke right there, he felt that the grief wasn't as overwhelming as it had been.

Maybe that was why he was surprised when he reached out and grabbed Yosuke's wrist, almost without thinking of it.

"Actually... could you stay for a bit longer?" He loosened his hold on Yosuke quickly, still surprised by his action.

The other teen nodded, reading correctly into his silent request of not leaving him alone. "Of course, yeah. I'll just go let Dojima-san know and call my place. You get ready for bed; you look ready to pass out."

When the door was shut, Souji wearily rose from the couch and he started digging through his bag for some comfortable clothes, pulling some out for Yosuke to change into as well. He changed quickly, exchanging his dark jeans for some loose sweats.

Yosuke came back into the room as Souji pulled a long sleeved v-neck shirt over his head, inadvertently showing off his chest and torso. He pulled the shirt down quickly, but he noticed a very faint blush on the other's face.

"Whoa, sorry dude. Everything's cool with me staying, by the way."

Seeing how supportive and unobtrusive his friend was being, Souji felt an onslaught of relief and tears pricked at his eyes once more. He hated being this emotional and unbalanced around another person, but he if was going to be like that anyway, then he was glad that it was when he was with Yosuke.

Yosuke was at his side in an instant, one arm wrapped around his shoulders in a soothing gesture, shifting him until they were sitting on his futon. "Hey! Everything's going to be ok! Aw, man, you were always the one who was good at this kind of stuff!"

Even as tears spilled down his face, Souji managed a small laugh at his friend's expense. "Heh, you're doing fine." He wiped at his eyes, but he couldn't stop his crying. The dam had finally been broken. "... Damnit! I miss them!"

His words had been whispered, but Yosuke had heard him anyway, and he pulled him closer to his chest in a warm embrace. "... Your parents died, didn't they?"

After all, it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

Souji just buried his face into Yosuke's neck, soaking the other teen's t-shirt with his tears as he sobbed quietly, showing far more emotion than he had all year.

Yosuke could only hold him as he cried, rubbing his back gently with one as his best friend grieved and cried himself out. It hurt, terribly, to see his best friend brought down so low, and it tugged at his heart that Souji would take much-needed comfort from him, and not one of the girls.

After a while, Souji had no more tears to cry, and with some sniffling, he pulled away from Yosuke, blushing with embarrassment at the large wet spot he'd caused with his tears on his shirt. "Sorry about that."

Yosuke glanced down at his damp shirt and he shrugged it off with his usual grin. "Ah, don't worry about it. Looks like you needed a good cry. 'Sonly natural."

The silverette yawned suddenly, exhausted from the long day's events. Yosuke grinned at him. "Need some sleep, too, no doubt. I'll spend the night and crash on the couch."

Souji nodded, grateful. "Thanks. I really needed this."

"Eh, I have my uses."

* * *

A/N: OK, NEW FIC FROM ME, YEAH I KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON MY OTHER FICS, BUT I HAD JUST FINISHED PLAYING PERSONA 4, AND I'M REALLY GETTING INTO THE PERSONA FICTION THAT'S HERE AND I WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE. SO HERE IT IS. HOPE YOU ENJOY.


	2. Chapter 2

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 2

As the next day was Sunday, so there was no school, and Yosuke wasn't needed at Junes, he offered to help Souji unpack his stuff since he didn't have much of anything else to do, and, which he would never admit to aloud, he really didn't want to leave Souji alone.

He accepted his friend's offer, and after breakfast, the two of them hurried back to his room and made short work of Souji's two large bags that he'd brought with him.

Souji unpacked his clothes while Yosuke helped him with the more personal items he'd brought from his house, putting the few books on the shelf beside the door, filling his desk with some of the mementoes his parents had brought back from their various trips and excursions, doing his best to turn Souji's room into a comfortable living space.

They had just finished and in silent agreement, headed downstairs to get something to eat for lunch, finding that Nanako had left for the afternoon to a friend's house close by. Souji put his friend's clothes from the day before in the wash, leaving Yosuke to wait in the clothes he'd borrowed from Souji and that was how Dojima found them in the kitchen, as Yosuke watched and made small talk while Souji prepared their food.

"Uh, boys?" The teens in questioned paused and looked at the detective. The older man had a small duffle at his feet and he already had his shoes on. "I'll be going to the city now, to finish up things there. Souji, I'll also get the rest of your things packed up and shipped out here. I won't get you in school until I get back, so you'll have time to take care of Nanako for me."

Souji nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Yosuke, thanks for all your help."

Yosuke grinned at the detective, shrugging off the comment. "Ah, he'd do the same for me, it's been a pleasure."

"All the same, thank you, and I mean with Nanako, too."

"You're welcome. You catching the next train?"

Dojima nodded, picking up his duffle. "Yeah, I should be back by the end of the week, tops. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, got it!"

Even Souji had to smile a little. "Yes, understood."

And then they were alone again, and Souji went back to getting them something to eat, and once he was finished, he joined his friend on the couch in the living room, feeling a heavy weight in his heart, and he considered his options before making a choice.

Then he started to talk.

"They died on a car crash."

Yosuke turned surprised eyes towards him, but he didn't say anything. He just waited for Souji to continue.

"The accident happened a week ago, I think. Memory's a little fuzzy, from the shock, I've been told. They were on their way home from a last minute conference with some of their associates from work, and my mother had asked me if I could get dinner made for when they came home, but they would bring home something sweet for after. I remember that night, I had gone to the grocery store, picked up what I needed, and I had just finished cleaning up afterwards when the phone rang." Souji's voice was now monotonous, clipped, as he recited the tragic event. Yosuke only shifted closer to his friend, and he lightly put one hand on Souji's knee, as a reminder to the other teen that he was there, if he needed him.

"I answered the phone, and it was a police officer from the hospital. He told me my mother's car had been hit, and that I should go down to the hospital as soon as I was able to. When I got there, doctors were rushing around, and I caught snatches of rushed conversation. I couldn't understand it all, but I heard something about a crash victim in surgery. They were losing him. A nurse demanded that I get out of the way; I told her that I had been summoned, and she asked for my name."

He broke off, drawing in a shaky breath, and he reached for Yosuke's hand, clutching it in his. His gray eyes were closed in recollection, and other than the hand he held onto, he seemed unaware of Yosuke's presence beside him.

The music loving teen felt his heart breaking as he could only imagine what had come next, and he felt brief butterflies in his stomach with Souji's tight grip on his hand.

"There were several officers there as well, and one of them caught my name. He told me he'd been the one who'd called me and proceeded to tell me what had happened." He frowned, and a tear leaked out from his clenched eyes. "My mother had been driving through the intersection on the green light, but there was some stupid, drunk-ass driver in a larger pick-up truck, one of the American models, who ran a red light, colliding head-on with her car. They caught the guy; still passed out from the crash with only minor injuries; a severe concussion and whiplash, at most."

Souji's grip on Yosuke's hand tightened and his posture was hunched in grief as he continued to recount the events of that night. Yosuke felt a little like crying himself. "Her ID was in the car, in her purse, but they wanted me to take a look, just for confirmation. She was dead when the paramedics arrived, since the truck had hit her side."

"Souji..."

"There was nothing they could do. Nothing at all. The officer gave me a moment, since, well..." He shrugged, the motion stiff. "Then a surgeon in scrubs came out of one of the rooms, approached the officer and told him that they were unable to save the other crash victim. The injuries had been too severe. Then he noticed me there, and he apologized and left. Everything seems a little fuzzy after that."

Yosuke could only sit there, on the couch beside his best friend, as more tears slowly leaked out from the corners of his tightly shut eyes. To be told that your parents were dead in that way, well, that had to be the worst way to find out, and he was at a loss as how to help Souji with this. It was beyond him, and the closest thing in comparison had been Saki-senpai's murder last year.

So he did what he had done last night, and he pulled Souji to his chest in another comforting embrace. He would do anything for his best friend, his Leader, his... his what?

It was right then, holding Souji as he cried again at the loss of his parents, that Yosuke realized that he had... feelings for him. Great timing, figuring that out!

But it was true. Seeing Souji like this was killing him, pulling at his heart, and he'd always liked and admired the other teen before. Souji was the only person he'd take orders from, knowing that Souji always his safety in mind, and he trusted him like he did no one else. He could tell Souji anything without having to worry about anything, and he knew the silverette cared for him on some level.

However, as enlightening as his feelings were, Yosuke didn't really have time to be thinking about anything else, since he was still comforting his friend. He noticed that the other teen had stopped crying, but he hadn't moved, so Yosuke leaned back a bit, still holding him, trying to take a look at Souji's face.

His gray eyes were open, tear tracks down his face, and he looked so sad, so lost that Yosuke couldn't stand it.

"I realize it hurts a lot right now, but everything's going to be ok. You're here now, and I'll take care of you." Yosuke blushed a bit as he realized what he'd just said, but Souji didn't seem to mind. "I would never leave you alone, if you wanted me to stay."

Souji felt that Yosuke's words had much more deeper feeling to them than it seemed, and he felt his face redden. He hated being so goddamn emotional, so out of control, out of touch with his emotions! Before arriving in Inaba last year, he'd perfected his aloof front and distanced himself from everything around him, but meeting Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko and the others had softened him, becoming precious to him.

"You feeling any better? Sometimes it helps after talking about stuff like this." Yosuke said quietly, and Souji pulled away, breaking the other teen's hold on him. He noticed that Yosuke also red in the face, but there was a glint in his eyes, some emotion that Souji couldn't identify right away. It made him feel reckless and he recalled Igor's words on taking a chance, a risk.

"Actually, I do feel better. Thanks for listening." He smiled at Yosuke, and he decided to take his chance. "And, there's something else."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking and reminiscing since I left over a month ago, and one thing my mind kept returning to was... well, I kept thinking about you." Souji had to look away from his friend, not wanting to know yet what Yosuke thought of his confession. Instead, he kept on speaking. "I would recall our first meeting, the way our friendship grew, and I would always say to myself that I wanted you to meet my parents. I had already told my mother about you, and I realized that I admired you. First, it was the way you supported me, being there when I needed you, even if I never told you."

He took a deep breath, keeping his eyes down. "Then they died, and I wasn't able to focus on anything, so it was actually on the train coming back that I fully realized that I kept admiring you, thinking about you, like I used to with the girls. I've always felt a connection with you, and well, I like you, Yosuke. As... more... than my best friend, and I'm not saying this because my emotions are messed up, and I'm not confused or anything."

The silence was thick, and slightly awkward. Souji knew that he could only just wait for Yosuke's reaction, but he'd done his part. He'd taken his chance, and that was all he could do.

Yosuke just stared at his friend, his mind rapidly going over everything Souji had just said. He couldn't believe it, well; maybe he could, but what a surprise! Also, good timing too, since he himself had just very, very recently, come to his own revelation concerning his feelings about his best friend.

Damn! He'd have to stop teasing Kanji now.

Bringing his mind back on track, Yosuke noticed that Souji was looking more and more nervous the longer he remained silent, so coming to quick decision, he closed the small distance between them and brought their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss before moving away.

He grinned. "I think I like you, too, dude. I think I have for a long time, but I just figured it out as of about five minutes ago."

Souji chuckled at that. "Figures. You're okay with it, with how I feel?"

"Dude, I wouldn't have kissed you just now if I minded."

"Right. Stupid question."

"Definitely feeling better now?"

Souji laughed at him, reaching up to wipe his face clean from his previous tears. "Yeah, actually. I'm doing much better. You meant what you said, about never leaving?"

"Yeah, I meant every word." Yosuke leaned in again, one hand cupping Souji's face as he kissed him again, and while he initiated the kiss, it was Souji who deepened it.

The silver haired teen snaked one hand behind Yosuke's neck, holding him as he swiped at the brunette's bottom lip with his tongue, seeking access. It was granted, and he plundered Yosuke's mouth with a soft moan, smiling inside when he heard an answering one in return.

After a few moments, Souji pulled away, watching with a satisfied smirk as Yosuke struggled to regain control of his breathing, and he thought he looked rather cute with that pleasant flush delicately staining his face.

It took a minute or so for Yosuke to regain his composure, because, damn, Souji could kiss! Not that he had much experience to compare it with, but that kiss had sent marvelous shivers down his spine, and the sensations had gone straight to his groin, making him shift uncomfortably.

Souji noticed the movements and laughed, even though he was in a similar state of body. Kissing Yosuke was like nothing he'd felt with another person, and he wanted more, but now was not the time to get carried away or anything.

"Thanks for listening, and cheering me up." He said, smiling at the brunette's sudden sheepish grin. "And as nice as that was, Nanako could come home at any time, so..." He trailed off with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Any making out will have to be done behind closed doors, so as not to corrupt any kids." He moved away from Souji, scooting back just a little. "Hey, we haven't touched your food! Can't have that happen, now can we?"

Souji chuckled, feeling a lot more in control with his emotions. "Is that all I am to you? Your chef?"

He got a shrug in response. "Well, it's one of your uses. Much better than Mystery Food X, which goes without saying." Yosuke shuddered dramatically, causing Souji to choke with laughter.

"Really? That's all?"

The brunette shot him a cheeky grin. "Yup!"

They laughed and started eating the food Souji had prepared, enjoying each other's company in relative comfort. The TV was on, mostly just for background noise as Yosuke brought him up to speed on everything that had happened since he'd left, like how Teddie had gotten lonely after only a few days in his world, and insisted on visiting them often, or how Kou had been conned into being Chie's taste tester for her cooking. Apparently she wanted to improve. Souji had laughed at that piece of news, since he knew the basketball player liked Chie.

It was about an hour or two later, after Souji had cleaned away their dishes, while Yosuke changed back into his clean clothes from the previous day, and Nanako had returned home from visiting her friend, that Yosuke decided to approach a slightly more serious subject.

"Hey, when did you want to let the others know that you're back? You know that everyone's missed you."

The silverette frowned slightly, and he considered his options. Talking to Yosuke about why he was back in Inaba had helped him immensely, and also, Igor's words about his destiny gave him a sense of urgency, but every time he thought about the friends he'd made over the past year had him feeling scared. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want to be treated like glass, or something fragile, just because his parents were dead.

But at the same time, he needed some time still, to accept that they were gone, that they were never coming back; he needed time still to get over the pain of their deaths.

If he was going to be strong enough to counter the impending and currently unknown disaster that was approaching, he needed to be strong enough to look back and remember without feeling the sharp agony that was currently attached to their loss.

He would also need the strength and support of all those he called his friends, too.

Turning back to Yosuke, he smiled, albeit a little sadly. "Give me until the weekend, when Dojima gets back. I should be okay for anything by then."

The brunette nodded, matching his sad smile. "Alright, sounds fair to me."

He stood suddenly, raising his arms as he stretched. "Well, I should get going now, since I've been here all day." He grinned. "Not that it wasn't enjoyable or anything!"

Souji chuckled at that comment. "Okay, smart ass, I'll even see you out the door."

With a grin plastered across his face, Yosuke wandered into the hall by the door, slipping his shoes on as Souji casually leaned up against the wall by the door.

Before Yosuke could open the door to leave, Souji caught his wrist and pulled the slightly shorter teen to him, snaking one hand behind his neck as he kissed him.

Yosuke's brown eyes drifted close as he responded to the searing kiss, putting a firm grip at Souji's hip, and he groaned when the other teen released him.

"Just wanted to give you a little kiss good night, Yosuke. I'll see you later, I promise."

Yosuke glared at him a little, with very little real heat behind it. "You're pure evil, you know that? Fine, I'm going. I'll call ya!" He fidgeted before leaving the Dojima home with a bounce in his step and a light blush on his face, and Souji watched him leave until he was no longer in sight before closing the front door.

He started pulling food from the fridge and dishes from the cupboards as Nanako came downstairs from her room, and she brightened when she saw him getting ready to make dinner.

"Big bro's cooking tonight? Yay!"

Souji laughed at her delight. She absolutely warmed his heart, with everything she did. "Yes, Nanako-chan, I'm cooking. Could you please set the table for just you and me?"

Her face fell a little. "Dad's not going to be home?"

"Didn't he tell you? He's taking care of some things for me back in the city, since I can't. He'll be back in a few days."

"Oh." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, he did say something. I guess I forgot."

"That's okay. Everyone forgets things from time to time, even me."

The rest of the evening passed quickly, with Nanako helping him with the dishes after dinner before watching some TV together. All too soon, though, his young cousin was yawning, so Souji put her bed.

He was actually pretty tired himself, considering the day's events, and he could feel it catching up with him, so he got ready himself and he slipped into his futon, sighing as sleep descended on him almost immediately.

Souji blinked, and he was back in the Velvet Room, where Igor was waiting for him, like he always was. This time, Margaret was sitting next to the small, strange man, and she acknowledged him with a small nod.

"We are here in your dreams, so do not worry, but I said to you during your last visit, I would endeavor to inform you of any new developments that I may come across." Igor got straight to the point, reminding Souji of his words before; of the unknown ordeal that would come about within the next year.

"My Master has brought me up to speed on the events during my brief absence, and it was then that I noticed some… unusual happenings in the Spirit world that lives closely with yours." Margaret spoke up, folding her delicate hands in her lap.

"The Spirit world that runs parallel to your own is staring to experience a… shifting in the balance that keeps both worlds in check. With all that has happened in the past three years; the prevention of the Fall, the loss of the Abyss of Time, and finally, the deaths pf two Gods, Ameno-Sagiri and Izanami, it appears that the bridges that connect the two worlds are beginning to fall apart and crumble." Igor stared at Souji with his intense gaze. "I have as of yet been unable to determine a course of action to prevent these bridges from falling apart completely, and I am looking into ways to repair the damage already done."

"What does that mean? I understand my part in what you've described, but what about the other two events?"

"Ah, you speak of your predecessor, the previous guest. A marvelous guest he was, of the Fool Arcanum, like yourself, and he, too, wielded the power of the Wild Card. He prevented the Fall, and now continues to act as the seal keeping Nyx at bay. I believe there was a cult following for Nyx a few years ago, so you may still be able to find information about her on your own, as his story isn't mine to tell.

"Then, there was the other guest; she was rather unique. She gained his power of the Wild Card through necessity, and by overcoming the Abyss of Time, she was able to give him strength and find her own Answer. However, this is your destiny, not theirs."

"The shift in the balance of two worlds is essential to each world's survival, meaning that should one be destroyed, the other will follow." Margaret was ever calm, though Souji was aware of her affection for him. "The balance needs to be restored, or your world will destroy itself, despite your efforts to allow humanity to live according to it's own will and by humanity's choice alone."

"So we have to restore that balance?"

"Correct. You will find the way, and I will most certainly assist in any way that I can. I have very little desire for my own existence to cease." Igor smiled that creepy smile of his, and Souji repressed a shudder.

"I am working on something that may be of assistance to you, so when next you visit, I shall impart with you a gift. Until then, pleasant dreams." Igor voice faded out as blackness consumed Souji's sight and he drifted off into true slumber.

* * *

A/N: SECOND CHAPTER IS UP! I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE READ OR ARE READING MY OTHER FICS, I WILL BE WORKING ON THOSE NOW, TOO, SINCE THIS HAS KIND OF BROUGHT ME OUT OF MY WRITER'S BLOCK.


	3. Chapter 3

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 3

Monday, the 16th of April was pretty dull for Souji as he didn't have to go to school, like Yosuke and Nanako, and his uncle Dojima was in the city by now, finishing up with whatever loose ends remained for him there.

He spent the day tidying up the house; he did a load of laundry, and just relaxing on the porch in the back yard, enjoying the sun.

So much had happened in the two days he'd been back in Inaba, from the dire warnings from Igor in the Velvet Room, to his intimacy with Yosuke; it made him wonder if everything was happening a little too quickly.

He needed to ask Igor what the signs would be to indicate the merging of his world and the Spirit world, because he didn't have a clue, whatsoever, as to what to look out for.

His cell phone started ringing, startling him. He fished it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, smiling when he saw that Yosuke was calling. School must have been over already.

He flipped open the phone, bringing it to his ear. "Hey."

"Hey, is it gonna take any convincing for you to come outside and leave the house? We can go to that park at the top of the hill; should be nice, quiet and secluded." Souji chuckled at Yosuke's tone, he sounded a little excited, or nervous.

"What, you trying to seduce me, Yosuke?"

"Just meet me there, you dumb ass! You need some fresh air, which is exactly why I'll come over there and kick your butt out the door if I have to!" The line went dead, meaning that Yosuke had hung up on him, and Souji couldn't help but grin.

Okay, he'd go out, even if it meant that he might run into someone he knew, which he wasn't quite ready for, but he realized that Yosuke had been worried about him, so he'd take that chance. He went back inside the house, locking the porch door behind him before slipping his shoes and a jacket on.

He was about to leave when he remembered that Nanako was going to be home soon, so he wrote a quick note to his young cousin, telling her that he'd be out for a little while, but he'd be back in time to make dinner.

Locking the front door as he left, Souji meandered through the deserted streets, bypassing all the areas he'd frequented before, and staying well away from the areas he knew his friends liked to visit as well. It was nice, seeing parts of the town he hadn't really seen before, and it was very hard to get lost, so he wasn't worried about that, either.

It was a nice day out, too. All of the pressures he felt; all of his worries and fears just seemed to melt away under the warm heat of the sun, drifting along the gentle breeze at his back. Souji sighed, a little wistfully, a contented smile gracing his lips, and he felt better than he had in a while, but even with his current good mood, he knew it couldn't last forever. But that wasn't going to stop him from enjoying it while it lasted.

He was just reaching the top of the large hill overlooking the town, when he saw Yosuke, the brunette waiting for him, leaning against the fence with his arms folded across his chest, eyes closed as he listened to his music. His foot was tapping to the unheard beat like it did when they had fought against the Shadows in the TV world. The sight caused Souji to grin and he proceeded to sneak up on the other teen, settling beside him before reaching over and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

Yosuke jumped with a yelp, startled as he cast about with surprised eyes for Souji. He was blushing again, and Souji thought it was rather cute.

The brunette pulled his headphones away from his ears and mock-glared at his friend. "Hey, when'd you get here?"

"Just now. Did I keep you waiting long?"

Yosuke shook his head. "Nah, I got here only a few minutes ago myself. You're lucky you're not going to school right now, you know that?"

Souji tried to repress his snickers. "I will be soon, as soon as Dojima gets back. Do you miss me giving you all the answers in class?"

He got a playful punch in the arm for his comment. "Damn straight! All of the teachers keep picking on me now, so I actually have to pay attention in class!"

"You make that sound like such a hardship!"

Yosuke sniffed at him. "Well, not everyone's a genius like you are, you know; you make everything look easy."

"I do not! I just crack open a book every now and then!"

A kiss shut him up as Yosuke had leaned over to do exactly that. He leaned into the kiss, a shiver coursing down his spine at the gentle touch. They remained side by side, leaning against the fence behind them, sharing that sweet kiss that made them feel warm and safe. This was a different feeling from the lust and attraction, but it was a good feeling, and after Souji pulled away from Yosuke's lips, resting his forehead against the other teen, he couldn't help but smile.

Yosuke was in awe of that smile. He'd come to recognize several of his partner's expressions over the past year, and this smile was one he'd only seen a handful of times, usually in Nanako's presence. But at the same time, this smile was a little different, filled with an intensity that made him feel light headed, knowing it was meant for him.

He tried to regain his composure, relaxing against the fence once more, trying desperately to will away the blush he knew he had. "Enough teasing from you, mister! I get enough of it from the girls, thank you very much!"

Souji laughed quietly at this. Oh, he could just imagine their... enthusiasm in tormenting Yosuke. "Alright, fine. Have it your way, then."

They talked a little about many, inconsequential things for a while, enjoying the other's company and the scenery around them. They were so absorbed in each other that they failed to notice someone else making their way up to where the two teens were, probably for the same reason they were there.

"Senpai!" Souji reacted instantly, turning towards the familiar call, blinking in surprise as Kanji Tatsumi casually strolled up the path, his school bag slung over one shoulder and a plastic bag clutched in one hand.

"Kanji? What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same question, since last I checked, you were back home in the city." The younger teen shrugged carelessly. "So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that somethin's happened."

Souji suddenly remembered why he hadn't wanted to see his other friends yet, and with a small wince, he nodded.

"Would it be too much to ask for you not to tell anyone that he's here? He'll explain everything on the weekend." Yosuke said, to Souji's relief, and Kanji frowned at him in concern.

"Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that, no problem." He shifted nervously, bringing Souji's attention to the bag he held in his hand.

"What's in the bag?"

Kanji became a little flustered as he gestured to the bag. "Oh, uh, this? Um, you remember how I was going to start holdin' classes on how to make stuff?" At Souji's nod, he continued. "Well, classes started three weeks ago, just after you left and are bein' held at the shop, and uh, this is the next project."

While Yosuke just looked confused, not having been privy to the details involving Souji's Emperor Social Link, the silverette decide to give Kanji, who looked very embarrassed, a break. "That's great, Kanji. The classes are a hit?"

The bleach blonde immediately brightened. "Yeah, I was actually kinda surprised at how well it's goin'!"

"What are you two talking about?"

Souji grinned at Yosuke, and glanced at Kanji, silently asking for permission to tell him. At Kanji's brief nod, he turned back to his... boyfriend. "Since Kanji's really good at sewing, having grown up in that kind of environment, he's now teaching others how to make the stuff he does. He's quite good, actually."

"How'd you find out he's good at that kind of stuff?"

"He helped a kid by making a doll for him and his friends, and it kind of spiraled from there."

Yosuke stared at Kanji; he'd never expected anything like this! "You make dolls?"

"Yeah, and clothes, too. I'm making something for Nanako-chan for her birthday and Christmas, too. 'S no big deal, really." He shrugged again, avoiding Yosuke's eyes, and he fully expected some smart-ass quip about his sexuality, like as was usual with the upperclassman.

"Dude, that's kinda cool, actually." Kanji looked up at Yosuke, startled. The brunette ignored it. "I mean, well, you could make stuff that no one else has."

Souji was trying hard to suppress his grin and subsequent laughter, and he was failing, badly!

"You- you don't think that's, er, gay?"

It was Yosuke's turn to be flustered. "Uh, well, it turns out that I'd be a hypocrite if I did."

And with that, Souji lost his battle against his hilarity and he succumbed to snickering madly, even as he felt a blush touch his cheeks.

Kanji stared first at Yosuke, and then at Souji and back again, doing a remarkable impression of a fish out of water. He cracked a playful grin, almost leering at the smaller brunette. "Yosuke-Senpai, you owe me big time."

Yosuke gawked, before punching Souji's shoulder. "What?! And you! Stop laughing!"

"For all the shit you gave me last year, only fair, I think." Kanji continued to grin, now in a very good mood. "And I won't tell anyone you're back, Senpai, or that you and Yosuke-Senpai are together. See ya!"

He left them there, turning around and leaving the quiet peacefulness of the hill, ignoring Yosuke's surprised squawk and Souji's snickers, which had yet to subside. If Souji-Senpai was happy, then so was he, and it wasn't anyone's freakin' business anyway!

It took several minutes for Souji to calm down and when he did, he noticed that the sun was getting a little low in the sky. Time to head back home. He nudged Yosuke lightly, pulling the brunette from his pouting.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that. Anyway, I have to go home, Nanako should be waiting for me to make dinner tonight." He said and Yosuke brightened, brown eyes glinting.

"You're making dinner tonight? Can I come too?"

"Sure, I'm making enough anyway."

* * *

Dinner was finished, with both Nanako and Yosuke praising Souji's talent, the dishes were finished and Nanako had already been put to bed, leaving the two teens to relax on the couch together, much like they had the day before. This time, though, since they had much less chance of getting caught, Souji had Yosuke lying half on his chest, his arms wrapped around the brunette loosely as they watched TV together.

They had reclined a bit, settling into their more comfortable position, and Yosuke had a smile on his face as he trailed one hand leisurely along Souji's arm, his other hand on his partner's knee.

After a while, Souji glanced down at the boy in his arms and he smiled, reaching down and around to place a kiss on Yosuke's temple. Yosuke moved his head back and met his lips in a searing kiss that went straight to their groins, causing Souji to moan into his boyfriend's mouth.

He broke away, flushed. His jeans were feeling just a little bit uncomfortable, and he could see that Yosuke had the same problem. "Let's take this upstairs."

He shifted out from beneath the brunette and pulled him up from the couch, tugging him tugging upstairs to his room. Yosuke followed willingly, and after they'd slipped into Souji's room, he found himself pushed up against the wall, with the weight of Souji's body covering his own, lips on his, demanding.

He grabbed at him, one hand on his partner's waist, the other clutching his shoulder in a vice-like grip. Souji kept both hands on Yosuke's hips, fingers slipping beneath his shirt to tease at the sensitive skin.

Yosuke gasped at the touch, his head falling to rest on Souji's shoulder. The silverette took the opportunity to nip his way along his neck, swiping his tongue over each tiny bite, reveling in the way the body beneath him shuddered.

He pulled away slightly, nuzzling against Yosuke's flushed cheek before kissing him again. His jeans were uncomfortably tight, and he could tell that Yosuke was about the same way, and his hormones were going into overdrive, making everything hypersensitive. He was rapidly getting drunk off the sensations as lust continued to cloud his mind.

"...Souji..." Yosuke moaned his name, as he bit down in the junction where neck meets shoulder, and he ran his fingers up and down the brunette's sides hungrily.

"Souji... Souji, wait!" At this, he pulled back, keeping his hands in place as Yosuke shook his head a little, trying to regain his ability to think. Both of them were flushed with excitement, and the room was warm, very warm.

"...Yeah?"

"We need t-to slow down... a little, before we go too far. Damn! Where'd you learn to kiss like that?" The brunette trapped in his arms was breathing heavily, and trembling something fierce. His words, however, made sense, and Souji immediately pulled away, moving to collapse in a boneless heap on the couch. Yosuke was left to support himself on the wall, but when his knees were able to work again, he joined his partner on the couch.

"Yeah, you're right. I wasn't even thinking." Souji admitted sheepishly, after he'd regained some of his usual grace and composure, and Yosuke could only grin weakly.

"I'm just surprised that I was thinking at all! Damn! Dude, you can seriously kiss!"

"What can I say? I'm an all-around genius!"

Yosuke glared at him. "If it weren't for the fact that I can barely move, I would so punch you right now."

That had him attempting to hold in his laughter, but he failed, and soon the brunette joined him, chuckling as he leaned heavily against Souji's legs. Once the laughter died down, Yosuke attempted to stand, only shaking a bit on the way up.

He stretched, grimacing as several loud pops were heard from his spine before straightening his clothes. Souji looked at him askance, raising one eyebrow in silent query.

The other teen noticed and he shrugged. "I should be getting home; you know, school in the morning, unlike a certain someone."

It took several minutes for them to get back downstairs, given their current conditions, but finally, Yosuke had his shoes and jacket on, same headphones in place, and with a quick smile, he leaned in close to Souji, giving him a kiss before almost bolting out the door, leaving Souji standing there, staring at the spot he'd stood long after he was gone.

With a smile of his own, he started to close the door when a sudden thought struck him. It was currently late at night, close to midnight, but not quite, so there should be no one outside and roaming about. He could take this chance and go to Shopping District, where the door to the Velvet Room was. At least, it should still there.

He could go and check with Igor about what he should be looking out for.

Decision made, Souji slipped on his own shoes, locking the door behind him as he left, and he jogged through the deserted streets, making it quickly to the Shopping District.

Like he expected, it was deserted, empty and eerily quiet. And there it was; the glowing, blue doorway to the Velvet Room, invisible to all but him.

Not that there was anyone else there, but still.

In front of the door, he reached out, hesitating only slightly before grabbing hold of the handle, pulling the door open.

There was a flash of light, and once his sight returned, he was back in that train car, sitting across from Igor and Margaret, who greeted him with a smile and nod, respectively.

"And welcome back. You certainly have been busy, but then so have we." Igor's words brought a flush to Souji's face at the implications. He really did not want to know if Igor spied on his every move somehow... that would make things REALLY awkward...

Margaret just rolled her eyes, apparently used to the strange little man's behavior. 'What my Master means is that we have finished constructing a tool for you and your comrades. These should help you in your world."

She gestured in the air in front of her and several tarot cards appeared, drifting down to land in his waiting hands. Souji flipped one over and was startled to see a picture of Izanagi staring back at him. He looked away from the cards, frowning in question.

"Those cards you hold will be the key in releasing your ability in a world that does not hold well with the supernatural. You will still need to discover a way to activate your power, but you have the means of doing so available to you, as you will discover with time."

Souji nodded his understanding, flipping through the rest of the cards. There was Yosuke's Susano-o, Yukiko's Amaterasu, Kanji's Rokuten Maoh, Rise's Kanzeon, Teddie's Kamui, Naoto's Yamato Takeru, and Chie's Suzuka Gongen.

There were also a few blanks cards, which he held up for Igor to see. "What about these ones?"

Igor smiled at him, pleased. "I can tell you that your Social Links play a monumental role in the coming year. Choices will have to be made, and you may need those extra cards. Keep them with you, at all times, just in case of emergency."

He nodded again, and remembered why he'd come here in the first place. "Can you tell me what I should be aware of? What signs should I look out for? Last year, the fog thickened the closer we came to battling Ameno-Sagiri."

"Things will start out small, and harmless." Margaret said. "Odd lights, especially around spiritual places. Anything and everything that would be considered as out of the ordinary. The severity will likely worsen as the year progresses, until, possibly, you're trapped in a hellish nightmare."

Oh, well, that was reassuring.

Souji stood from his seat, and the Room began to fade as he took his leave of it, having found some answers, even though he now had more questions.

Then he was back in the street of the Shopping District and a quick look at his watch told him it was now past midnight. With a sigh, Souji headed home, feeling the need to crawl into his futon for some much needed sleep.

The rest of the week passed fairly quickly, luckily without incident, and Dojima was back late Friday night, just in time to put Nanako to bed. The rest of Souji's belongings, some furniture and a few other items not easily transported in a suitcase, had already been shipped out to Inaba and he'd already replaced the cheap metal bookshelf he'd been using for the medium sized wooden book case that now housed all the books he'd gotten in the last year, a few favorite DVDs, and a couple of small framed photos, for variety.

But Saturday morning, he sent Yosuke a text message, asking the brunette to collect their friends after school and to bring everyone over to his house, so he could break the news to them that he was back in town.

He just hoped that they didn't flip that he hadn't told them sooner, Chie, Teddie and Rise especially.

He also hoped that Yukiko wouldn't just assume that he would be interested in dating her again.

That could be awkward.

Yosuke had texted him back on his way to school, ensuring that he'd drag their unusual group by, using much colorful language, and implying the use of threats and/or bribes if need be.

So he settled himself to wait, choosing to hang a couple wall scrolls on the limited space on the walls in his room, but he ended up sitting on his couch, staring at the clock, watching the minutes turn into hours.

He must have dozed off at some point, because his phone beeping, alerting him of an incoming text message jolted him awake. Fumbling for his cell, Souji smiled a little nervously at the text from Yosuke, informing him that they were on their way.

He went downstairs, gathered some drinks for when his friends arrived, made sure the door was unlocked as well. He resigned himself to wait out the last few minutes and sent a text to Yosuke, telling him about the door.

He was really starting to dread the reactions of his friends, especially Rise and Teddie.

Or maybe he just had an overactive imagination.

The front door opening broke through his thoughts, and he grinned slightly as he heard Yosuke urging patience. Then he heard Chie's honest voice, quickly followed by Kanji's rough tones and he rose from his spot on the couch to meet them.

"But Senpai!" That would be Rise. "Are we visiting with cute Nana-chan again? I don't see her shoes."

"My Nana-chan's not home to see me? That won't do at all!" Souji had to grin at Teddie's drama. Good thing that some things never changed.

He waited until they had come fully into the house, standing clustered by the kitchen before revealing himself. They hadn't noticed him at all, yet.

"Actually," Several heads whipped around to stare at him in shock. "Nanako's not the one you'll be visiting."

"SENPAI!!" Rise and Naoto both collided with him in bone-crushing hugs, knocking the air from his chest, and he just barely managed to stay on his feet from the onslaught.

"SENSEI!!!" Ok, he spoke too soon. Souji blinked up at the ceiling before casting his smile at the three people on top of him. He was now stuck on his back, on the floor, having only narrowly missed hitting the coffee table on his way down with Teddie's extra weight.

"Come on, let the guy up! You can maul him later!" Kanji saved him, as he and Yosuke pulled the girls and Teddie off, giving him some room to breathe again.

"When did you get back? How long are you staying?" Chie asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet in her excitement.

"Um, I'm not going back. I'm here permanently." Souji sank down onto the couch, smiling as Yosuke claimed the seat beside him on his left, while Rise attached herself to his arm on his right. He knew she was mostly harmless.

As his words sank in, the others settled themselves on the floor around the table, and he sighed, not really wanting to talk about why he was back, even though Yosuke had already helped him through most of the pain attached to the event.

"Something happened, didn't it? Are your parents okay?" Yukiko asked and Souji winced.

So he explained about the accident, giving them the bare facts, and he explained that he's already been back Inaba for about a week now, dealing with their loss and his own turmoil.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Chie looked about to cry, like Rise and Teddie were doing, but then she blinked, turning to Yosuke. "Yosuke, how did you know he was back?"

He flashed a nervous grin at her direction. "I was there, watching Nanako-chan when he arrived."

"How are you holding up, Senpai? I know that the loss of your parents is always hard and difficult to deal with, even at the best of times." Naoto's soft concern reminded Souji that she, too, had lost her parents, albeit when she was much younger.

"Actually, if it wasn't for Yosuke, I'd probably still be a wreck right now." He grinned at the brunette's embarrassed pink tinge. "So don't get too mad at him for keeping my arrival a secret. Also, Kanji knew too."

Rise pouted and mock-glared at the bleached blond. "You knew and you didn't say anything? But when did you find out?"

"Uh, a couple days after he came back. But even I could see that he wasn't ready to deal with us yet, so I let him be."

"That was remarkably perceptive of you, Kanji." Naoto said, the smallest hint of a playful smile touching the corners of her lips.

"Hey!"

Souji chuckled at their antics. It was good to be back, but he wasn't finished yet. "There's something else I would like to discuss."

Even Yosuke turned puzzled eyes back to him. "Huh? I thought that was the biggest issue we had."

"I've received some disturbing information from a very reliable source that something big will happen this year, as a direct result of our victory over Izanami." He paused, thinking back to Igor's words. "Actually, our battle with her tipped the scale, so to speak."

"Senpai, what are you talking about?" Rise asked softly, worry starting to flicker in her eyes. "I haven't sensed anything."

"There were two other major events within the last three years, that I don't have the details of, that has caused a shifting in the balance between worlds, specifically our world, the real world, and the Spirit world." Souji shrugged, not really despairing at the lack of knowledge. Like Igor had said, those events weren't involved with his destiny. "The balance between our worlds is a very delicate thing, and I have been told that is that balance isn't somehow restored, both worlds will end up being destroyed."

"Wha- Why?" Chie asked, eyes wide. The others had similar expressions of anxiety.

"I don't know. All I know is that we have about a year before the end of the world."

Yukiko's brow was furrowed as she voiced her thoughts. "But how can we stop it? How can we stop that from happening?"

"Are there any options open for us to prevent this, if possible?" Naoto asked, her tone recognizable as her 'Detective Prince' voice.

Souji shook his head, shrugging once again. "I don't know yet. But what I do know, is that we will need our Personas, and that they are important."

"Senpai, how do you know all this?"

The silverette glanced down at the girl on his right side. "I don't know how to explain it, Rise. But I was informed of this by two people I trust, and they have greatly helped me in the past."

Yosuke nodded, his smile grim. "If you trust them, then I will too. Easy as that."

"Thank you." The glance at Yosuke had a lot of hidden things he wasn't quite comfortable yet to say aloud. "I haven't been out much since I came back, so I have to ask; have any of you seen anything... strange, recently? Anything even remotely out of the ordinary, no matter how silly it may be."

The others glanced about amongst themselves, looks passing between the group as they silently asked each other that question.

"Anything?"

Souji looked at Yukiko, frowning slightly at her sudden nervousness. "What is it, Yukiko?"

"Um, well, I-I've only seen it once, in the hot springs at the Inn, and it was getting late, so I thought I'd only imagined it, but I did see some odd lights the other night. Like how the old myths and legends talk about lost souls." A nervous blush was settling in on her features. "There were only a couple, and they disappeared quickly enough, but the rest of the staff at the Inn have seen them as well."

"That's the start, then. I'd like you all to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, and please let me know about anything you see or hear."

"You got it, Sensei!" Teddie grinned at him, eager to help out his friends. "I'll try my very best!"

Souji smiled at the Shadow in human form. "Thanks, Teddie."

"Yeah, we can do that!" Chie nodded once, firmly in agreement. "Hey, when are you coming back to school?"

"Um, I think Dojima set it up so that I go back on Monday. So you'll see me there."

Further conversation was prevented by the opening of the front door, with Nanako's giggling drifting to them, and Souji could make out the distinct tones of his uncle's voice as well.

Then Nanako rushed into the living room, her little arms wrapped around a shopping bag, vegetables poking out the top, with her father right behind her with the rest of the obvious shopping. Her face lit up at the sight of all of Souji's friends sitting there in the house.

"All of Big Brother's friends are here! Are all of you going to stay for dinner?"

Chie laughed nervously. "Um, not exactly, Nanako-chan. I don't think your dad has enough food in the house to feed all of us."

"Sorry, Nanako-chan, but maybe next time. We were just visiting your big brother." Yukiko flashed her smile at the young girl, rising to her feet quickly. "It would be rude if we didn't give your dad some warning before we barged in for dinner."

Nanako looked put out for a minute as she thought about it. "Okay, I guess. But you promise to come back soon and visit with me, right?"

Teddie leapt to his feet, veritable sparkles dazzling everyone. "Of course, my Nana-chan! We'll come back really soon, and play with you. We can go to Junes again!"

Souji smiled as his younger cousin laughed and nodded. He caught the relieved look on his uncle's face, turning his smile into a teasing grin, which earned him a mock-scowl in return.

"Okay, thanks for coming by, but I'm kicking you all out now." His grin belied the bluntness of his words as he ushered and herded his friends out of the house.

"Aww, but Senpai...!" Rise flashed her million-watt smile and crushed and engulfed him in a rib-crushing hug before she tugged at Teddie's arm, dragging him down the street. Kanji started walking away with Naoto at his side, chatting away in hushed tones as she listened, while Chie and Yukiko both bid him goodbye with a wave as they slowly headed in the general direction of Yukiko's home at the Amagi Inn.

Which left only Yosuke standing beside him, watching as the others left and disappeared down the street before glancing at Souji, a playful smirk tilting his lips.

"Well, partner, I'll see you at school on Monday. Can't wait to start having the right answers in class again!" Before he could offer a retort, Yosuke leaned in quick, placing a feather-light kiss on Souji's cheekbone, and dashing off towards his home at a jog, grinning over his shoulder at the silverette.

Souji grinned at his antics before he retreated back into the house to get started on dinner for the night.

Despite everything, things were looking up.

* * *

A/N: THIS CHAPTER TOOK A LONG TIME, BUT IN THE INTERIM I MANAGED TO PLOT OUT THE ENTIRE STORY, FOR THE MOST PART. I HAVE ALMOST EVERYTHING PLANNED OUT, FOR ONCE, WHICH IS VERY WIERD FOR ME, AS SOME OF MY LONG-TIME READERS WILL KNOW, BUT MAYBE THIS WILL SPEED UP MY UPDATING PROCESS. WHO KNOWS.


	4. Chapter 4

P4 EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: THE ONE THING I OWN IS THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 4

The morning was nice out, sun shining without a cloud in the sky as Souji walked along the Samegawa floodplane to Yasogami High. There were other students walking the same path, each in their own world as they passed by or dawdled and Souji smiled, remembering the last time he'd walked amongst his peers, almost two months ago, and he glanced around for some familiar faces.

He quickly spotted Rise and Kanji walking together ahead of him, the bleached blond towering over the pop star, so he picked up his pace and jogged over.

"Rise! Kanji!"

When he got close enough, the teen idol pounced, latching herself to his arm with glee. "Senpai! I'm so glad you're back; you have no idea!"

"Yeah, I'm a senior this year, too. Big year for me."

"You've got nothin' to worry about, Senpai." Kanji lightly punched Souji on his unoccupied shoulder. "Chie-Senpai swears that you're a genius in the classroom."

Souji grinned at his taller underclassman. "Yeah, she would know; last year, I was giving both her and Yosuke the answers every time they were called upon."

They had reached the front gates of the school, where most of the others from their group were waiting for them.

"Hey, partner!" Yosuke waved to them, his everlasting, easy-going grin in place. "Guess what? We're in the same class again this year!"

"Yeah? Do we have a normal homeroom teacher this time?"

Chie pulled a face in disgust. "Nah, Kashiwagi got moved to the senior year classes. We saw her on the way here, and she couldn't stop babbling to herself about having you back in her class; that's how we knew."

"You make it sound like you don't want me here."

"Wha-! No, no! that's not what I meant, and you know it!"

"Yeah, I'm just messing with you."

"It is good to hear you speak, Senpai; I recall you spoke very little last year." Naoto spoke up from beside Yukiko, and Souji was somewhat surprised to see the young detective in the girl's uniform, rather than the boy's uniform she'd donned the previous year.

"Naoto! You look good! Embracing your femininity?"

She blushed, but she smiled at him. "Yes, it's actually somewhat of a relief, to be honest."

Further conversation was cut off as the first bell rang, and they hurried into the school building for their respective classrooms. Souji broke away from the group, telling Chie he'd be in class as soon as he finished up with some last minute administrative paperwork. She promised to pass the message along to the others for him, and he thanked her.

The late bell rang as Souji knocked on the faculty office door, and upon seeing, one of the school secretaries immediately ushered him over to an out of the way table where some last minute forms awaited him.

He finished quickly and five minutes later, he knocked on the door of room 3-2, where the rest of his friends were already in class.

The rest of the morning classes were a bit of a blur, as he quickly settled in a familiar routine, but by the lunch hour, Souji was already hearing whispers about weird lights at night and at the now-popular shrine in the shopping district.

The bell sounding the lunch hour rang and Souji had just risen from his seat when the classroom door was nearly slammed open, revealing the grinning faces of Kou Ichijo and Daisuke Nagase, his friends from the basketball and soccer teams respectively and sharing his Strength Arcana Social Link.

"Whoah! Dude, you never told us you were coming back so soon!" Daisuke was at his side instantly, slapping his back enthusiastically in greeting.

"Hey! Don't knock him over, you lug!" Kou shoved the soccer player away, and Souji could only grin at their antics.

"To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting to be back so soon, but stuff happened," He shrugged, not bothering to go into the details. "And here I am."

Kou leaned over and around Daisuke, placing one hand on Chie's shoulder, smiling as she acknowledged him warmly. "So Souji; are you coming back to the basketball team for this season?"

The silverette shrugged again, he hadn't really decided on anything. "I don't know yet; I'm still getting settled."

"That's cool. The season doesn't start for another two weeks, so take your time."

"Hey, if you're free after school," Daisuke said. "How about we head over to Aiya's for ramen; just like old times."

Souji nodded. "Sounds good."

The two athletes didn't stay long after that, with Kou speaking quietly to Chie for a few moments before leaving with the soccer player back to their own classroom. Chie and Yukiko watched them leave before bursting into giggles, eliciting inquiring stares from the boys beside them.

"So, Chie," Souji began, a smirk already in place. "Something I should know about?"

The girl blushed bright red as Yukiko dissolved into further giggles and Yosuke started snickering quietly. "Um, uh, well not that it's any of your business, but Kou-kun has offered to be my taste-tester, so I could practice my cooking, and he'll train with me, too."

"And he's still alive? Glad to see that you're improving, then."

Chie shot him a dirty look and punched his shoulder. "Of course he's still alive, you idiot!"

"Well, we've had unfortunate experiences with your cooking, Chie... remember of Mystery Food X?" Yosuke asked, grimacing as the memories resurfaced.

Yukiko's giggling faded as she pouted. "You're never going to let that go, are you guys?"

"Only when I can start singing praises about anything you cook!"

"Souji-kun!" That was all the warning he had before several bodies tackled him, nearly toppling him from his chair.

"Hey, girls!" Souji slowly untangled himself from the clinging arms of Yumi Ozawa and Ai Ebihara, smiling as Ayane Matsunaga stepped back to give him some room. "Happy to see me?"

"Of course, we are, silly! Uh, it's good to see you again!" Yumi flashed a brilliant smile, moving to stand beside Ayane.

"You, mister, never called to say you were coming back, so," Ai poked his nose, causing Souji to blink. "You have to help me in getting Daisuke's attention!"

Yosuke turned to the light brunette. "You like Daisuke, the soccer player?" He leaned casually against Souji's desk, surreptitiously laying his claim on the silverette.

"Well, yeah! But he's a little dense when it comes to girls." Her sharp eyes flickered between Yosuke and Souji and she smiled. She leaned in closer to the brunette, checking to make sure that Yumi and Ayane were busy chatting to Chie and Yukiko. "And you won't be fooling anyone if you make it anymore obvious. I think it's cute, though. Never would have figured you two for being that way."

Only the two boys heard Ai's words, but Yosuke was already red while Souji managed to keep his embarrassment down to a light pink tinge, barely noticeable.

"Just don't tell anyone, ok? I'm not quite ready to advertise our relationship yet. It's still very new and all that." Souji said, voice low and Ai nodded in understanding.

"That's cool. I'll keep my teasing down to a minimum, then."

"I'd appreciate it, thanks."

The three girls left then, as the bell signaling the end of the lunch hour rang, and the day continued on with afternoon classes in it's monotonous fashion, back to the familiar routine that had been developed last year.

Throughout the rest of Souji's afternoon classes, his teachers were ecstatic to have him back, and continued to call upon for him for correct answers for the rest of the afternoon.

It was actually a relief for Souji when classes let out for the remainder of the day and he was able to leave the school behind with his friends in tow.

Kou and Daisuke ambushed him and Yosuke just outside the front gates of Yasogami, dragging the two of them to Aiya's Chinese restaurant with only a greeting for the girls they left behind.

It was only when their food had been ordered and placed in front of them that Kou revealed the reason behind the ambush.

Souji, for his part, realized immediately that whatever was going on was serious when Daisuke nudged his friend to start him into talking.

"Hey, Souji. I know that you and your friends were involved somehow with all that shit that went down last year with all the murders and everything, so you're the only one I can go to."

"How do you know we were involved?" Yosuke asked, frowning.

"You know most of the people who disappeared for up to a week, or had some kind of interaction with the ones that were killed. I started putting it together when your cousin, Nanako-chan, went missing." This drew alarmed looks from both Yosuke and Souji, and Kou raised his hands to forestall anything they were about to say. "But then, the murders and disappearances stopped, and everyone was ok, so I didn't bother to say anything."

"So, if you figured out that we were connected with the case, what's stopping anyone else from doing the same?" Yosuke asked, near panicking. He clenched his fists tightly on the table. "Damn it! We were so careful, too!"

Daisuke waved his chopsticks lightly, shaking his head. "Because only Kou and I knew all of you as a group. Yukiko Amagi and Chie Satonaka have been best friends almost since they were little, and are in your class; of course you know each other. Kanji Tatsumi is seen as a thug turning his life around by taking you," The soccer player pointed his chopsticks in Souji's direction. "On as a mentor or role model."

"Naoto Shirogane knows you through your uncle, Detective Dojima." Kou continued where Daisuke left off. "And it continues on like that through the rest of your close group of friends. But because you've become so popular, with the clubs you joined last year, and you're a genius to boot, well, all the connections leading to Souji seem coincidental at best."

"And then there was something the day before you left." Seeing the two teens across from him tense, Daisuke smirked. "Something happened that day, on March 20th, and it was important."

"Wha- What do you mean?" Souji asked, recalling his battle against Izanami-no-Okami, especially after they'd fallen, dragged under by death.

"I have no idea what happened that day, and I didn't remember any of it until just the other night, but you needed us, I think. I remember thinking about you, and how you supported us throughout the year."

"I think we gave you our support, a shoulder to lean on for strength, if you needed it." Daisuke shrugged, his food almost forgotten. "And you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, either."

Souji smiled weakly, relieved. "Good, because I don't think I have the words, and I don't think you'd believe me if I tried."

The four of them ate their food in silence, but as soon as they were done, Kou turned back to Souji. "Ok, since we went off on a tangent, I haven't told you yet."

"Uh, told me what?"

"I'm not sure if you've heard anything yet, but I've been seeing some pretty weird things around the estate. It's kind of cool, but still weird." Kou sighed heavily. "My family has been in Inaba for a long time, for generations, so the estate we live on is old; some of the trees in the back gardens have been there, untouched, for at least a few hundred years, probably more. Well, it's only been in the last day or two, but at night, I've been seeing some lights. They look like floating balls of white fire, drifting around without a breeze."

"He even brought me by last night to check, I saw them too. It freaked the shit out of me." Daisuke cut in.

"Thanks, numbskull."

"Anytime."

"Anyway, I've also seen some shadowy figures in the koi ponds, when nothing's there."

Souji folded his hands together on the table, tapping his fingers together as he though of Igor's warnings and Yukiko's stories about lights at the Inn. This was another sign.

"It's the supernatural. Ghost lights and spirits. The walls between our world and the spirit world are starting to fade and disappear, merging our worlds. This is bad, and it kind of relates to what was happening last year, and especially what happened on March 20th." Souji knew he was taking a huge risk by telling his fellow athletes even this much of the truth, but since they had come to him in the first place, he was willing to take that risk.

Neither Kou nor Daisuke responded right away, a little stunned. They certainly hadn't expected this!

"I need you guys to please keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. I've been warned that this could escalate from the harmless ghost lights to something worse. I just don't know what, yet."

With a frustrated sigh, Kou rubbed at his eyes. "Dude, this is some heavy shit you're involved in now."

Souji grinned at that. "Heh, you're telling me."

"Why?"

Yosuke blinked at Daisuke. "Huh? Why what?"

"Why you? No offense, but what's so special about you guys?"

Souji took a few moments to collect his words to answer. "We have found our true selves, and sought out the truth beginning, overcoming all the obstacles in our path. We freed ourselves from the fog of deceit and ignorance, seeking that truth, and not even gods could stop us." Yosuke smiled grimly at his carefully chosen words, appreciating the subtlety that gave the athletes across from them no details of the hardships they endured. With one hand underneath the table, he gently squeezed the silver-haired teen's knee.

"That was smooth, my friend." Kou said with a grin. "You didn't say a word of a lie, but you didn't give us anything, either. Ok, I won't ask again, until you're ready to tell us."

"Hey, we gotta jet. Kou's helping me with my English homework tonight." Daisuke threw some money down on the table, effectively paying for all their food before standing from his seat.

"Sure thing. We'll see you in school tomorrow."

"Basketball team this year; think about it!" Then they were gone out the door of the restaurant, leaving Souji and Yosuke alone.

"I sure didn't see that coming."

"I know."

"Do you think anyone else has made the connections?" Yosuke asked softly, glancing sideways in Souji's direction.

He could only shrug. "Dunno. Dojima already had his suspicions; kept trying to interrogate me every so often, but after we saved Nanako-chan, I think he stopped caring."

"Huh. Go figure." With a sudden grin, Yosuke grabbed his schoolbag as he stood from the table. "Hey, did you want to go the shrine? That fox that lives there will be happy to see you, and she's got kits, too."

He smiled at the brunette, grabbing his own bag to follow. "Sure, we can do that."

It was a short walk across the street from Aiya's restaurant to the shrine, and the sun was setting, shedding the sky with darkening dusky light. As the two teens walked up the steps, Souji couldn't help but smile at how well-maintained the shrine and its grounds had become since helping the Hermit fox with fulfilling the Emma requests.

It was also quite apparent to him of the merger between worlds, with the flickering ghost lights drifting around.

"It's gotten nice here, even with the supernatural stuff. It wasn't that long ago that this place was practically run down!"

"Yeah, our friend living here was quite worried. Hey, do you see that?" Souji pointed to the lanterns that hung at the entrance at the top of the steps. They were lighting themselves, which was strange enough, but that wasn't what had caught the silver-haired teen's attention.

"Holy crap! Blue fire!" Yosuke swore, eyes wide as he took in the sight of the eerie blue flames that were currently flickering inside of each paper lantern.

"Yeah..."

"Another supernatural sign. By the way, how long have you known to watch for these signs?"

"I was first informed on the train ride here. I got the specifics a few days ago."

"Oh. This is happening a bit fast, isn't it?"

"A little. But we're still safe."

"Somehow, not very reassuring."

"I get the feeling this will be it for a while, maybe a few weeks before it starts getting bad."

"Again, not very reassuring."

The two of them ventured further onto the grounds, and Souji could barely repress a shiver, feeling as though several sets of eyes watching him and Yosuke, although there was nothing and no one in sight.

A sharp yip rang out in the eerie quiet, effectively catching their attention as a familiar large fox, still scarred and wearing the red apron of the shrine, bounded over to them from under the small porch of the front steps leading into the actual shrine itself.

Souji knelt down on one knee, bringing himself down face to face with the intelligent creature. With a smile, he patted the fox on her head, his smile growing as she yipped in pleasure.

"The shrine looks a lot better now that people are taking care of it. You must be glad for that."

The fox nodded as though she understood him, and she grabbed his sleeve in her muzzle gently, tugging him closer to the shrine steps from which she'd emerged to greet them.

Yosuke followed behind them with a grin, kneeling down beside Souji as his furry friend nudged three small kits from the makeshift burrow beneath the steps.

"Those kits are actually pretty cute." He said, picking one up as another nuzzled his knee and Souji grinned, lightly scratching behind one of the third fox cub's ears.

"If anything happens here that makes you feel uncomfortable, you're more than welcome to bring your little ones over by my house," Souji spoke to the fox and she nodded. "Nanako would love to have you around."

The two Persona users left the shrine shortly after that, before the night truly set in, parting ways with a chaste and quick kiss before going to their respective homes.

The next couple of days passed quietly, with no major disturbances to disrupt the already dull and monotonous routine of school. The rumors of the supernatural continued to grow as the sightings increased and more and more people witnessed the undeniable evidence, like the ghost lights and blue fire, but so far, everything was harmless, for which Souji was immensely glad and relieved for.

He knew it wouldn't last forever.

* * *

A/N: I HAD MOST OF THIS CHAPTER WRITTEN OUT FOR WEEKS, I JUST FINISHED TYPING IT OUT A FEW MINUTES AGO, SO SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATE. SHORT CHAPTER THIS TIME, KINDA JUST A FILLER. THE MORE SERIOUS STUFF SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, AND I'M WORKING ON THAT ONE AS I SIT HERE, SO HOPEFULLY, IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO LONG. THANKS FOR READING, AND PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!


	5. Chapter 5

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI2

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 5

As April drew to a close, supernatural sightings had almost become normal to the town of Inaba, now an everyday occurrence that sparked little attention from the desensitized populace, save for those few that knew that something worse was on the horizon.

Souji was struck by feelings of helplessness, because all he could do was wait. He had seen himself the shadowy glimpses of water spirits floating above the Samagawa River, playing with the many fish that made a home there. The ghost lights were no longer restricted to wooded and holy areas, and could be seen just about everywhere the moment the sun started to set at the end of each day. The blue fire that burned in the lanterns at the shrine now burned also at the Amagi Inn, the Ichijo Estate, the Shirogane Estate, and many more of the older homes that dotted the town.

All of this crowded Souji's mind as he sat down to breakfast before school on the last Saturday of the month, April 28th.

He paused, looking up with a frown; had he heard something?

There it was again! He turned, looking towards the back porch, and he blinked at what he saw there. With a smile, he stood and went over to open the door, dropping to one knee as the Hermit fox nimbly stepped inside, two cubs on her back and the third dangling from her jaws.

"Taking me up on my offer?"

The fox let her kits down before nodding once in reply.

"There should be a comfortable space beneath the porch for you for the time being, and I'll let my family know you're here after I'm done with school today, okay?"

She let out a small yip of gratitude and reached over to give him a quick lick before disappearing outside with her cubs.

Chuckling softly, Souji finished his breakfast and he finished getting ready for school, bringing a small dish filled with water to the back porch, setting it down on the grass for his unexpected, but not unwelcome, guests.

* * *

That was, sadly, the highlight of his week. Well, the good highlight, anyway. He shared the news of his guests with his fellow Persona users, but at the same time, he heard new rumors of what might be wild dogs prowling around, with a few people hearing low growling in dark streets late at night, and it was enough that people were beginning to shy away from going to the parks and other, more isolated areas after dark.

Also, on Monday, April 30th, Teddie showed up at the school during the lunch period, surprising Souji and his friends.

"SENSEI!! Oh, Sensei, it's horrible!"

Souji leaned back in his seat at the outcry, just as a blonde, blue-eyed blur passed in front of him where he'd been moments ago, crashing into Yosuke with yells of surprise from the two of them and the clatter of desks toppling.

"Ow, you ass! That hurt! Souji, why'd you dodge?"

"Yeah, Sensei; dodging me like that was rude!"

Souji blinked at them from his seat, deliberately ignoring the girls' giggling from in front of him. "Um, instinct?"

Yukiko helped Teddie to his feet, straightening the desks as Chie hauled Yosuke up from the floor. "So, what are you doing here, Teddie? What's so horrible?"

"Oh, it's just terrible! I almost didn't make it through this time." Huge crocodile tears welled up instantly in Teddie's dramatic blue eyes.

"Come on, Teddie! Just spit it out! People are starting to stare." Chie said, glancing around the classroom.

"I almost didn't make it from my world through the TV." Teddie spoke quietly, as this was not the conversation for normal people to overhear. "There was a lot of resistance, like squeezing through a tunnel that's too small."

"Really? Um, Souji? Is this another sign?"

The silver-haired teen nodded to Yukiko's question. "I think so. That world represents what dwells in the hearts and minds of the people in this world, so maybe loosing access to that world is a side effect of the two worlds merging, since we are no longer alone on our own world."

"Well, it's a bit of tight squeeze right now, so I should be able to go through as I please, since I'm originally from there, but I don't think you guys will be able to visit anymore." Teddie said, pouting just a little. "I don't know how long the way through will be stable for."

"You could always stay with me at the Inn, Teddie, if it starts getting too difficult for you to travel." At Yukiko's offer, Teddie flashed her one of his now-infamous grins.

"Oh, Yuki-chan! You're so sweet!"

The rest of the day passed quickly, and after school, Souji walked into the house where he was greeted by Nanako carrying one of the Hermit fox's kits in her arms, cooing over 'Kyu-chan', as she affectionately called the tiny creature, and even Dojima wasn't immune to the cuteness, as he gave his approval for the fox and her family to stay with them once Souji explained the situation to him.

Souji went to school, sat through his classes, hung out with his friends during the day, helped Yosuke at Junes a few times that week, and visited the daycare to check on the kids. The rumors and stories of wild dogs and animals at night were growing, and he was concerned about the kids. He shared his concerns with Eri Minami while she was picking up Yuuta, and he asked her to be careful.

Dojima was starting to spend more and more time at the station, coming home later, much like last year, as more calls came in about incidents at night; garbage cans were overturned and mauled, leaving behind dented wreckage; cars were scratched up with claw marks and slashed tires; mailboxes were torn from their posts or hinges and destroyed. Thos were only the few incidents that he mentioned to Souji on the weekend after coming in late.

As the month of May began, it seemed that things were beginning to escalate, and Souji could see it happening everywhere.

It started out with small events, again, with the power going out at random times at Yasogami High, sending the students and staff into darkness for small periods of time before starting up again.

All the cash registers at Junes crashed on Friday, May 4th, sending the department store into chaos and frustration, and that night, as Souji walked home, street lights flickered sporadically, all the traffic lights were down, and as he passed by a mailbox, he was startled to see it rust up completely and collapse in front of him.

Saturday afternoon after school had Souji scouring around town for more evidence of the rapid decay and electrical failures, with Kanji phoning him about the Shopping District looking like hell.

He was in one of the parks that were scattered across Inaba, overlooking the remnants of a destroyed private cemetery when his phone rang in his pocket. His caller ID revealed it to be Kanji, so he answered.

"Kanji?"

"Uh, Senpai? I think this are getting worse."

It was the way the blond had said it that had Souji worried. "What do you mean? Kanji, where are you?"

"Shopping District. Was gonna go check in on my Ma, tell her to be careful when out and about. This place is a wreck, though."

"Just spit it out, Kanji. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine an' all, but the whole street's torn up, like giant claw marks in the asphalt. In some spots, huge chucks of street are just missing. One of the power lines has been brought down and torn apart, totally shredded, and there are a couple of electrical crews tryin' to fix things up. Kinda looks like a battle ground, or a war zone."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know. If the power's down, it'll be a few days before it gets fixed, even temporarily. Go home; your mother's probably worried about you, and I want you to call Rise and let her know what's happened, got it?"

After Kanji's affirmative, he ended the call and looked over the cemetery he was standing in. Definitely a place of high spiritual energy, and one of two in Inaba, it, too, looked like a war zone. Almost none of the stone monuments were left standing, let alone intact, reduced to rubble for the most part, and all the metal plaques were crumbling, rusted beyond anything he'd seen before.

* * *

Sunday, May 6th, he called the group over to his place, since Nanako was at a friend's house for the afternoon, and Dojima was at the police station again, so they had the place to themselves for at least a few hours.

"So. What do we know?" Souji asked, just to get a summary of events.

"The entire Shopping District's a wreck. Two more power lines were found down this morning, and people are starting to worry." Rise said and Kanji nodded in agreement.

"No one living there goes out at night anymore, for anything. I haven't been attacked or nothing, but I've seen animals or somethin' in the shadows after the sun goes down. I haven't seen them close up for a good look, but I can tell you that whatever's prowlin' is nothing like any ordinary dog." The blond teen shuddered. "You can sometimes hear them growling at night if you're too close to the windows. Kinda creepy."

Yukiko took a sip of the tea Souji had prepared for their impromptu group meeting. "There's been no damage to Inn itself, but we've had those animal sightings, too, by the staff. They seem to stay away at a distance. There have been shadows flitting around in the air, like almost invisible wind sprites or spirits."

"There are many more ghosts and spirits at the Shirogane Estate." Naoto stated, her usual hat pulled down in front of her dark blue eyes. "But that would be because we try and bury our deceased family members somewhere on the grounds whenever possible, to keep them closer to home."

"Okay, that's a little creepy."

Chie smacked Yosuke for being rude. "That's not nice! Anyway, anything made of metal has started to rust, fast. Well, everything not made of iron."

"I've seen the metal decay, but I hadn't noticed about the iron exception." Souji said. "But iron has always been the anathema to the spiritual or magical energies. Anything else?"

"Yeah, the decay seems localized in some areas, and completely random in others."

"Normal people are starting to get worried, but so far, no one's panicking. No one seems to be making the connections between everything weird that's been happening lately." Yosuke shrugged. "It's like everyone's oblivious to the fact that this is so not normal."

"People will always believe what they want to believe, and see what they want to see. As this gets worse, their eyes will be opened to the truth, and we will just have to try our best to protect them," Souji said, hands folded under his chin. "Just like we did before."

Teddie nodded enthusiastically, beaming at them. "You're exactly right, Sensei!"

"But Senpai," Rise interjected, a thoughtful frown in place on her lips as she looked at him. "Last year, we were able to fight tangible enemies, with our weapons and Personas. We don't have those anymore, and we don't know what we're fighting against, this time."

Souji grinned at her. "Of course we do. We can go back to Deidara's shop for weapons and armor, and as for our Personas, well, they're who we are; we just need a different way to release them here, in this world."

The others nodded in agreement to his words, taking heart in the hope he provided. Just like with Souji, the sheer helplessness they felt was really starting to get to them.

"We cannot give up hope. Not yet." Souji look at each of them in turn, forcing his friends to meet his sharp gaze. "Not now, not ever. We may not know what we're going to be fighting against, but we will prevail, just like before."

"We just have to do what we can." Yosuke grinned at them playfully. "We're good at this by now. We can save our world again."

"Also, I'm going to give each of you something that I almost forgot about." Souji said, a little embarrassed at forgetting. He reached into his back pocket, where he carried a set of ten cards, seven of them with familiar images, and he passed them around.

"Hey! Susano-o!" Yosuke blinked in surprise at the image of his Persona on the card and Souji's grin widened.

"The card that each of you holds in your hands is your Persona. These cards are part of the key that will release them here in this world, when the time comes. I received those cards from the same source that I've gotten my information from, and I want you all to keep them with you at all times. I'll tell you more at another time, when I know more myself."

"Oh, wow, Senpai! You're so cool!" Rise beamed at him, her million-watt smile as dazzling at Teddie's. "But I gotta cut this meeting short, cuz I still have homework to do, and I know you do too, Kanji!" She pointed an accusing finger in the big blonde's direction, pocketing her Kanzeon card, and he groaned.

"Aww, I was hoping you'd forget."

"C'mon, mister; we can do it together, then it'll be done a lot faster!" It was amusing to watch the much smaller girl pulling on Kanji's arm as she dragged him from the house.

Chie sighed dramatically. "Yeah, I still have my math homework to finish. You're good with math, Yukiko; can you help me with it?"

The two girls stood up, Yukiko nodded to Chie's request. "Of course I can. Your place or the Inn?"

Naoto and Teddie left soon after that, the blond Shadow staying with her in one of the guest bedrooms at her home, as Yosuke offered to remain behind to help Souji clean up.

The silverette brought all the teacups and other dishes into the kitchen, while Yosuke put the living room back into order when the phone rang.

Dumping the dishes in the sink, and motioning to the brunette that he'd get it, Souji walked over to answer the ringing phone in the front hall.

It was Nanako, saying that she was going to spend the night at her friend's house, she'd already gotten permission from her father, and she was just calling to let him know where she was so he wouldn't worry about her. About thirty seconds he'd said his good night to his younger cousin, Souji's cell rang with his uncle on the other end from the station.

Dojima basically confirmed Nanako's call, and said that he would late in coming home that night, if at all, and if he wanted, Souji could call one of his friends over to keep him company, making Souji grin on his end.

Souji said his goodbyes to Dojima, promising that he'd behave and he closed his cell shut, ending the call. Yosuke had finished cleaning the living room and approached him with a questioning frown.

"What's up, partner?"

"We have the place to ourselves for the night. You up for that?" Souji asked him, still grinning.

Yosuke caught on immediately. They hadn't had too much time alone together recently, and he jumped at the opportunity. "Sweet! So, did you have anything in mind?"

Souji set his cell phone down on the table beside the landline phone, reaching out to snatch at Yosuke's white t-shirt, effectively tugging the teen closer. "I might have an idea or two."

Their lips met in a playful kiss that immediately sent heat racing down to their groins and Souji moaned into those pliant lips as tongues fought for dominance and Yosuke's hands gripped his hips with bruising strength.

They broke apart gasping for breath, their bodies flush against each other, and Souji grinned at the cute blush that was quickly spreading across Yosuke's face and his darkened, lust filled eyes shone brilliantly.

"My room?"

Yosuke nodded fervently. "Your room. Now."

Souji smirked at the slightly smaller brunette. "Well, aren't you demanding?" He asked as he led the other teen slowly up the stairs.

"I don't hear you complaining!"

"Who said I was?" He reached behind him as he kissed Yosuke again, fumbling to open his bedroom door, stumbling slightly as he tried to navigate inside without releasing Yosuke from his grip.

"Good point."

Conversation faded quickly after that, as the two boys fell back onto the couch, hands roaming as they continued their dominance match with their tongues. Souji moved, positioning Yosuke beneath him, sliding his fingers under the brunette's shirt, teasing at the sensitive skin there.

Yosuke threw his head back into the cushions with a moan, eyes closed with pleasure and Souji swooped down to nibble along his partner's neck, slowly bringing Yosuke's shirt up until he pulled away long enough to tug it off, revealing pale skin.

Yosuke was quick to reciprocate, tugging at Souji's long-sleeved shirt and tossing it aside once it was off. His eyes raked over his Leader's half naked form with a hunger he couldn't hide, and he trailed his tongue down the smooth pale skin of Souji's stomach, enjoying the shudders that rippled the length of Souji's form from his actions.

The silverette attacked Yosuke's neck again, planting hot kisses along his collarbone while he played with the belt keeping the brunette's jeans in place, although if he had his way tonight, well... he grinned as his imagination went wild.

Yosuke bucked beneath him, sending different body parts rubbing against each other, and both teens groaned lustfully. Souji hauled Yosuke to his feet and led him to the futon in the corner, removing the brunette's belt as he did so.

Their gazes locked together, clouded with lust, but Souji managed to silently ask the question he couldn't seem to ask aloud. There was no doubt that there was physical chemistry between them, and while it hadn't been that long since they first started dating, Souji was more than willing to pursue the physical intimacy that waited, seeing the possibility of their emotional intimacy following it.

Yosuke knew what Souji was asking him with his emotion-darkened slate eyes, and searching deep in his soul, he found the answer. He nodded, with no trace of hesitation or worry or fear in his expression as he regarded his Partner above him.

With Yosuke's response, Souji made quick work of their remaining clothes and lowered Yosuke down onto the futon, briefly fishing around in the bottom drawer of his dresser for the condoms Dojima had given him a few months ago. That had been rather embarrassing for both of them, but that was a story for another day.

"Are you sure? One hundred percent? Are you with me?" He asked, for the last time, settling himself between Yosuke's legs and drawing his boyfriend's knees back for easier access. He wanted there to be no regrets.

Yosuke nodded again, leaning for ward to kiss him gently. "Yes, always. One hundred percent."

Souji returned the kiss passionately, slipping the condom on with one hand as the other began to prepare his lover, gentle and teasing, calming the quivering muscles of the lithe body beneath him. Yosuke could only hold onto him, hands gripping his shoulders as Souji prepped him with massage oil until he was fully relaxed.

Once Yosuke was ready, Souji made his claim and slid slowly into that blessed heat, making him gasp for breath as he buried himself inside of Yosuke. The brunette's arms were now wrapped around his back, holding him close as their foreheads touched and their breath mingled shakily. He took only moments to get used to the new sensations of his lover before he started moving, rocking his hips back and forth and gaining a rhythm that had Yosuke trying to meet his every thrust.

He was reduced to grunts and lust-filled groans as he listened to Yosuke's growing cries of pleasure, unable to form a cohesive thought beyond this very moment. He moved faster, burying his face into Yosuke's neck, biting down as his partner screamed, sweat rolling down his face.

Yosuke could hardly breathe from all the sensations he felt, and the passion he was experiencing. This was nothing like he'd felt before, and he felt hypersensitive to every part of Souji that he could touch. He ran his fingers down the silverette's sides, finding purchase on his hips and pulling the other teen deeper into him with each thrust.

Then his ability to breathe was gone as a hand that was not his own reached between their entwined to circle around him, pumping in time with each sliding thrust, leaving Yosuke to just revel in it. He hooked his feet together behind Souji's waist, drawing him in even deeper and he saw stars as something inside him was struck, and breathing became a luxury easily forgotten.

Souji groaned, biting down again on Yosuke's neck in the same spot as the willing body beneath his own tightened around him, wearing down on his already failing self-control. He wasn't going to last much longer at this rate, but he knew that Yosuke was close, too, quickly reaching his peak.

The combination was too much for Yosuke, with Souji deep inside him, striking that delicious spot with each thrust, his hand pumping away erratically, and the sting of his teeth bruising his flesh and with a violent shudder and scream, he exploded, drowning in the aftershock, and it was only an afterthought in the back of his mind that Souji came just seconds after him, brought to a finish by his ass tightening around him in spasms.

Souji collapsed on top of him, barely managing to pull out in time. He lay there on top of Yosuke panting, a silly grin creeping across his normally stoic face, and a glance told him that the brunette had a similar look. Slowly, he pushed himself off of his lover and rested beside him, forehead planted on his shoulder.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"We have school tomorrow, don't we?"

"Yup."

"Damn. I don't wanna move."

"So don't. I'll set the alarm a little early so that we can stop by your place in the morning." Souji raised his gray eyes to meet Yosuke's brown orbs with a smug grin. "Besides, I don't think you can move yet."

"I would punch you right now if I could." Yosuke yawned widely, squirming against Souji. "We should probably clean up first, though."

"Yeah, I'll get it. You probably shouldn't move too much yet." It was with great effort that Souji pulled himself away from Yosuke, got up and headed for the bathroom.

He came back with a couple of damp washcloths, dropping one down on Yosuke as he cleaned himself off. Grimacing at the smell of the room, he opened the window, not needing Dojima to ever come in and smell the fresh scent of sex. Even though his uncle wasn't home, the thought sent chills down Souji's spine. Not something he ever wanted to deal with.

He pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, grabbing the same for Yosuke before making his way back to his futon where his now clean boyfriend was almost already passed out.

Smiling, he nudged the brunette awake, holding out the clothes in one hand.

"What? I was sleeping..." Yosuke whined, and Souji chuckled at his antics.

"Come on, just put these on and we can get some sleep."

"Fine. Fine, fine."

Five minutes later had Souji turning out the lights and crawling into the futon beside Yosuke, content as his partner snuggled up to him.

"Never figured you for a snuggler."

"And if anyone finds out, I will hurt you. Seriously hurt you. Now hush; sleeping now."

"Goodnight, Yosuke."

* * *

Souji blinked as he glanced around, taking in the now familiar train car of the Velvet Room before focusing his attention on Igor and Margaret, who were sitting in their usual positions across from him.

"Welcome back." Igor said, with little of his usual humor in his voice. "I have brought you here tonight while you sleep to bring to your awareness the significance of the moon."

"The moon? Why?"

"The lunar phases played a large and significant role in the events of the previous Wild Card guest, and is also an important aspect of the supernatural phenomena in your world." Margaret explained quietly, and Souji frowned, getting a sense of urgency and distress.

"Tonight is the full moon, the most powerful of all the lunar phases, followed closely by the new moon. Energies are high this night, causing a disturbance in the world. You must be cautious around these times, now, and in the upcoming months."

"What's happening? Can you tell me anything?"

"I cannot see what is occurring, only that caution must be taken." Igor shook his head sadly. "You will find out when you wake in the morning, and that is all I can tell you now."

Then the Velvet Room was gone and Souji drifted down into a deep sleep that, fortunately, had no dreams in which to plague him, feeding from his worries brought on by this unexpected news.

* * *

It was as Souji and Yosuke were walking together to school on Monday morning that they first heard the whispers. A feeling of great unease had made itself felt since the moment Souji had woken up that morning, although he had tried to hide from Yosuke until he could be sure of whatever disaster the full moon had brought about.

The whispers spread of a weird statue found on the edge pf the Samagawa River, right by the turn off to Yasogami, and as the two Persona users came closer to the scene, the whispers grew in both volume and dread.

Souji glanced at Yosuke beside to gauge his reaction the speculations and rumors sprouting around them, but the brunette only shrugged, clueless.

"I wonder what has everyone's panties in a bunch."

"Not too sure. I don't think it's good, though."

"Let's check it out."

Souji's sense of uneasiness grew the closer they came to the edge of the Samagawa, and once he saw the statue, he knew what had happened under the light of the full moon the night before.

Life sized and fully detailed, the statue was of a man not familiar to Souji, but that didn't stop him from seeing every detail of the unfortunate man's pretrification. Souji could see the look of terror etched into the stone as though he felt the emotion himself, and he realized that this stranger's last moments had been filled with a fear that had him trying to run from it, if he read the positioning of the fossilized limbs correctly.

"Dude, what does this mean?" Yosuke whispered from beside him, staring at the grotesque statue with a kind of awe and disbelief.

Souji couldn't tear his eyes away from the stone reminder of the fate that could await all of them, if he couldn't figure out a way to stop from happening.

"It means the stakes are higher. It means that time's running out."

* * *

A/N: I KNOW THERE WILL BE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT SOUJI AND YOSUKE HAVING SEX THIS EARLY IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP, BUT REALLY, THEY'RE TEENAGE BOYS! AND, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES, THAT KIND OF PHYSICAL INTIMACY DRAWS A PERSON CLOSER TO THE ONE THEY LOVE SOONER AND THE EMTIONAL INTIMACY SHARED BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IS ALL THE MORE STRONGER FOR IT. I REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS CHAPTER, SO PLEASE, LEAVE A REVIEW OR PM TELLING ME WHAT YOU, AS MY READERS, THINK ABOUT IT. THANK YOU!


	6. Chapter 6

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI2

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 6

Since coming across the grisly statue on the Samagawa, things in Inaba were getting worse. Souji had heard that during the night of that full moon, any TV that had been on at around midnight, all of a sudden, turned red, casting a decidedly creepy crimson glow and emitting harsh white noise that grated on the nerves of all who had heard it.

Souji confirmed this on May 20th, the night of the new moon, when the black disk of the new moon he knew was hanging out there in the sky lit up in the same crimson glow of his TV.

What he wasn't expecting, though, was the ghastly sight of thick, fresh blood oozing from the TV screen, dripping down onto his floor.

Another statue was found the next morning; the final moments of the woman it represented continually reminding Souji of the peril that waited for them all.

It didn't help that Dojima confirmed that two new Missing Persons reports had been filed, the descriptions matching perfectly the statues on display in the town.

Vandalism was common now, as more cars were wrecked with their windows smashed in and tires slashed. The wild dogs that rampaged during the evening hours were destroying the abandoned buildings of the Shopping District, one by one, and Souji had seen the beasts a few times.

They were not normal dogs, by any means. He preferred to think of them as some kind of hellhound, actually. The dogs were far larger in size than wolves, broad in the shoulder and long with thick, sinewy muscle, and dark bristly hair covering their powerful bodies. Glowing crimson eyes shone in the darkness of the streets, matched perfectly by the coronet of blue sparks and embers that formed a flaming crown upon each beast's head.

The Shopping District kept getting hit the most, with the vandalism of the buildings, the consistently torn up asphalt making it impossible for any car or bike to travel through the street, and every single power pole had now been torn down by unseen forces and shredded into tiny pieces, sending the neighborhood into frantic chaos as the people who lived there tried to adapt to living without power. Junes had sold out of portable battery-operated generators within a week.

After the new moon the night of June 19th, a few days after the fourth human statue was found, Souji was walking from school as the sun hung low in the sky, but not yet even twilight when he first heard the ominous and threatening snarling of the hellhounds behind him.

He was crossing through a park off of the Samagawa, and he spun around at the noise, coming face to fearsome face of a pack of the beasts coming out from within the trees, and his hand slowly reached down and into his pocket, where his Izanagi Tarot card was kept.

He still didn't know how to use it.

It surprised him that the beasts were coming out in daylight, since all reports of them had them as nocturnal creatures, and he didn't know if he could fight them off alone. His other hand crept ever so slowly up the unobtrusive sword case he'd only recently gotten from Deidara's weapons shop, concealing his most powerful weapon, the Blade of Totsuka within it.

Damnit! He didn't have time for this now! Cursing under his breath, Souji decided to run, knowing that he would be sorely pressed to win against this pack as he was; if he could figure out how to release Izanagi, then he would be alright on his own.

He bolted, sprinting towards the closest and more populated street, hearing behind him the rally cry of the hellhounds as they took off after him. Dusk had set in fully, casting the passing scenery with dark looming shadows, but he paid no head, keeping his hand on his sword case, ready to draw his weapon if he needed to.

Just as he felt the beasts catch up to him, felt their hot rancid breath panting at his heels, Souji turned a corner and slowed as he nearly collided with a mailbox a few blocks shy of the Shopping District. As he righted himself, he heard the hellhounds backing off, disappearing once again into the mounting obscurity of the darkening night.

He didn't slow to a walk, preferring to jog the rest of the way as he fumbled in his pocket for his cell. When Yosuke picked up on the other end, Souji was quickly approach home, grateful for the sight of Dojima's car in the small driveway.

"Dude, are you okay? You sound out of breath." He could hear Yosuke's concern over the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a close call. I had a thought; are you ready to tell the others? About us, I mean?"

There was silence on Yosuke's end for a few moments as Souji unlocked the front door and let himself inside, responding absently to Nanako's welcome home greeting, ascending the stairs for his room.

"Um, sure, if you are. Are you seriously okay?"

Souji nodded, even as he realized that his boyfriend wasn't there to see it. "I am now. I just had a close call with those hellhounds. They're getting bolder, and I suddenly felt that we shouldn't have to hide our relationship." He closed the door of his room behind him, dropping his sword case against the wall beside the door.

"Okay, sure. When do you want to?"

"Does tomorrow sound good? We can all meet after school, on the roof or at Aiya's."

"The it's settled. Have yourself a good night okay, Partner? I'll see you tomorrow."

Souji bid Yosuke good night and got dressed for the night. After his run from the hellhounds, he wasn't even hungry, and considering what he'd just set himself up for tomorrow, well, he'd need the extra rest.

* * *

At school, Souji managed to track down Ai, since she already knew about him and Yosuke, during lunch. She was with Yumi and Ayane, and Souji was pleased that the three girls had become friends. They'd be good for each other.

"Hey, girls." He said, smiling as the three Arcana members greeted him. He sat down between Ayane and Ai, winking at the shopaholic. She caught on immediately, how he had no idea, and she grinned madly.

"Hi, Souji!" Yumi grinned at him. "What's up?"

"Can you girls keep a secret? Okay," He raised an eyebrow in Ai's direction. "I know you can, Ai, but you two don't know this yet."

"Oh, just spill, already!"

Souji cast the brunette beside him a look that had her giggling. "Would you hush? I would get to it if it weren't for the interruptions. Anyway, uh, well, I'm gay."

"And he's dating Yosuke Hanamura! Isn't it great?"

Before he actually admonish Ai for spilling his secret before he could, Souji's hearing was rattled at the sudden squeals from Yumi, her grin widening with glee, and Ayane shyly thanked him for telling them.

She was such a sweetheart, really.

"Okay, ladies! Could you keep it down a little, though? I haven't told the others yet."

"Fine, we'll keep quiet, right girls?" Yumi asked, getting a nod from both Ai and Ayane before she turned her full attention to Souji, startling him. "So... how far have you gotten with Yosuke?"

Souji couldn't stop the rush of blood flooding his face as he sputtered, sending the girls into further hysterics, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Like I'd tell! Anyway, I gotta go, so I'll see you girls later. And Ai, don't tease Yosuke too much, okay? And be careful, all of you! I don't want anything to happen to you; you three are some of my favorite girls, after all!" With that, Souji stood, submitted to the hugs that each of them insisted on and left in search of Yosuke for the rest of the lunch hour.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and right after the last class of the day, Souji sent Yosuke to grab Rise, Naoto and Kanji before they could leave, and asked Chie and Yukiko to meet them on the roof, which was sure to be deserted, and to call Teddie to come, too.

Ingoring their confused looks as they agreed and left, Souji hurried into the hall and into the classroom beside his own and easily spied Kou and Daisuke, and the soccer player was actually talking to Ai Ebihara. He smiled at that, knowing the girl's attraction to the big lug.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but could you two come to the roof with me?" He grinned when they agreed, standing from their seats. "Sorry, Ai, but I gotta borrow them."

"Oh, is this about-!" She giggled when he nodded engulfing him in a hug. "Sure, go ahead, I'll just find the girls! Good luck, Souji!" The she was gone out the door, leaving the athletes staring after her in confusion and a little shock.

"Uh... what was that about, dude?"

"She already knows what I want to talk to you guys about. Come on, the others are probably waiting for us now."

The scene on the roof would have been funny to Souji had he not been nervous about why he had brought most of his friends to the seclusion up here. Yosuke was surrounded by the others, with Chie and Rise demanding to know what was going on, on both side of the teen, as he adamantly stayed quiet, shaking his head in blatant refusal. Kanji was leaning against the large vent, grinning at Yosuke's plight, while Yukiko settled for sighing dramatically at her friends' antics and Naoto was struggling to hide her grin.

In fact, Naoto was the first to notice him and she brought him to the others' attention, saving Yosuke from more harassment.

"Senpai, why are we here?" She asked, noting the addition of the two athletes behind him, so it couldn't be something terrible or related to the dangers they faced against the supernatural.

Souji settled himself beside Yosuke, taking a deep breath in preparation. "Well, to be honest, I have something to tell you all. All of you are my friends, my closest friends, and I reached the point where I don't want to hide anything from you."

"Sensei?" Teddie asked, prompting him to continue.

He decided to just spit it out. "To put it bluntly, I've figured out that I'm gay, or at least bisexual. I want to know if you don't like or approve, so I can stop hiding my relationship."

He was met with a stunned silence for a moment, and he spared a minute glance at Yosuke, finding the teen beside was tense as he stared at the group of people around them, waiting for their responses.

"Good on you, Senpai!" Kanji stated boldly, jolting the others from their stupor. "S'not like you to hide from us, and you've always been there for us, so I'm with you on this!"

Souji was warmed by the blonde's support, a smile tilting his lips. "Thank you, Kanji. That means a lot."

"Who are you seeing?" Yukiko demanded, thrown for a loop, and Souji repressed a grimace, recalling her affections for him. "It's fine, but I was hoping we could, I don't know, go from where we last left off."

"I'm sorry, Yukiko. But, to answer to your question..." He shrugged, giving Yosuke his chance.

"It's me." Incredulous stares turned to the brunette beside him, who turned a lovely shade of red under the scrutiny. "We've been dating since April. More or less, since right after he came back."

"So long as you're happy, Kou and I don't care who you're seeing, guys or otherwise. You deserve it, man." Daisuke grinned at them and Kou elbowed him in the ribs playfully before sitting next to Chie.

"He's speaking for me again, but yeah, he's right!"

"I had already come to the conclusion, actually." Naoto smiled warmly at them. "It wasn't that hard to hard to figure out if one was truly observant and willing to see."

"What does 'gay' mean? I haven't heard of that, yet. What's 'bisexual'?" Souji had to refrained himself from slapping his forehead in exasperation to Teddie's questions, grinning when Yosuke followed no such restraints.

"I don't even know how to answer that and keep a straight face. Rise, could you explained it to him later?"

She giggled and nodded fervently. "Of course, Senpai! Oh, you and Yosuke-Senpai are soo cute together! You two suit each other!" She squealed much like Yumi had at lunch, and Souji wondered if he should be worried or not.

"How'd it happen? I want details, mister!" Chie pointed a finger at him, a familiar determined look about her and Souji nearly groaned. "When'd you find out you like guys? When'd you tell Yosuke, and when was your first kiss?!"

"Chie, dear, you're making them uncomfortable." Kou grinned at his girlfriend, the two having hooked up about a few weeks previous. "Should I worried about you going all 'fangirl' on them?"

She blushed herself, smacking Kou on the arm. "Uh, wha- hey! I'm being nice! I'm just curious, is all." She huffed indignantly and Yukiko giggle, brought out of her sulk.

Souji grinned at his friends, happy to have them and relieved, and he snaked his hand over Yosuke's, twining their fingers together. "I'm happy you're all okay with this. We were kinda worried, a little."

"Yeah, especially with how I acted last year. I'm still sorry for that, Kanji."

"S'alright, Senpai. I just get to hold that over your head for a little while, then I'll be good." The taller teen grinned, looming over them and Souji laughed.

"Hey, and in a town this weird," Kou said, arm wrapped around Chie's shoulders. "We have to be pretty accepting, so this is nothing big, and you're our friends."

"Thanks, guys."

* * *

Souji was hanging out with Yosuke on Sunday, July 1st, curled up together on his couch watching movies when his cell rang. Dislodging himself from his lover, Souji answered it, blinking as his uncle spoke on the other end.

"Hey, I'm going to be late tonight, again. Could you take care of dinner and put Nanako to bed when it's time?" Dojima asked, and he sounded tired. He knew the constant phone calls about the rising vandalism was starting to wear on his uncle.

"Sure thing, dinner's taken of already. There are even some leftovers in the fridge if you want them. Just, be careful coming home tonight, okay? I almost got attacked again last week, so those creatures are hanging around, I think."

"Yeah, I will, Souji. Tell Nanako I'll be home tomorrow and on time for me, okay?"

"I can do that. Is it okay if Yosuke sticks around?"

He knew then, in that instant, that he wasn't fooling his uncle. "Just make sure to lock your door after Nanako's in bed, and no funny stuff before then, got it? I don't want to have to answer any awkward questions."

"Okay, Uncle, I got it. See you tomorrow."

Yosuke was staring at him with something akin to horror as Souji shut his phone, setting it down on the table. "He knows, doesn't he?"

"Yep. Totally busted. It's about time for Nanako's bedtime, so I'll just be a few minutes. Could you go down and check if our furry friends outside need anything?"

The rest of the evening passed smoothly, with the two teens making plans for the next full moon on July 3rd, a few days from then, before going to bed. Not to sleep, but to bed.

* * *

The next two days were filled with a sense of anticipation that sent chills down Souji's spine, making him edgy and nervous. Something big was going to happen soon, and he had the sneaking suspicion that it was going to happen tonight, during the full moon. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that whatever was undoubtedly going to happen tonight would change the course of how he was going to deal with his mission to once again save the world.

And it scared the crap out of him.

After, he sought out each and every one of his friends, from Naoki before the underclassman could leave, to Ayane and Yumi as the two girls were headed for their respective clubs, to Kou and Daisuke out by the soccer field, and told them all to go home. He had a feeling, he said to each of them, that something bad could happen, and he didn't want any of them to get hurt. Shaken, they all did as he asked and hurried home under his watchful gaze.

He found Ai with Chie and Yukiko, asking his fellow Persona users about some of the schoolwork assigned today, and he sent them home as well, telling them he'd explain tomorrow if they still had questions.

He called Eri Minami and told her to stay inside after she'd picked up Yuuta from the daycare, telling her he had a bad feeling about tonight, and that he wanted her and Yuuta safe. She was startled and a little worried, but she promised to be quick and would be indoors long before the sun set.

He called Shu Nakajima too, also warning the boy to stay inside, no matter what happened that night. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about Hisano, since he knew the old woman would be safe in her home, and Sayoko was still out of the country.

He found the rest of his friends, Naoto, Kanji, Teddie, Rise and Yosuke in the front of the school, getting their things from their shoe lockers. He sent them home, too, addressing his underclassmen and the Shadow. He told them about his uneasiness and sense of dread, and they agreed to go home right away.

He turned to Yosuke, the only one of his friends remaining. "Could you come with me? I have the feeling that whatever happens tonight will scare Nanako, so I could use the help."

Yosuke nodded, grabbing his bag. "Sure thing, Partner. I'll just call my folks when we get there."

"Thanks."

They passed by Aiya's restaurant on the way and picked up some take-out for dinner, and they both noticed more and more of the hellhounds hanging out in the alleys of the Shopping District, watching them and growling as they passed, picking up the pace as they went.

Yosuke kept his kunai, the Malakh, holstered at his belt, his hands twitching every so often, and Souji continued to keep one hand on the case of his Sword of Totsuka, just in case, and he made a mental note to visit Deidara's shop soon for some armor, specifically the God's Garment or the Coat of Thoroughness. He also wondered briefly, absently, why did Deidara give his creations such... interesting names.

To Souji's relief, Nanako was already home when he and Yosuke arrived, happily playing with the fox kits in the living room, with the Hermit fox watching them from beside the TV.

"Yay! Big Bro's home! And you brought dinner!" Souji grinned as his younger cousin raced over, still carrying one of the kits in her arms.

"What, no 'hello' for me, Nanako-chan?" Yosuke grinned at the girl, setting the food down on the cluttered kitchen table.

While Yosuke kept Nanako occupied, Souji took the time to try and call Dojima at the station, to see whether or not his uncle would be making it home tonight.

"Dojima speaking." From his gruff tone, Souji started to think that maybe he'd called at a bad time.

"It's Souji, uncle. I just wanted to know if you were going to be home, but I take it that you're not."

"Sorry, Souji, it's been a long day, with more weirder stuff happening today than usual, these days. I might be late. You'd think that most people would realize there's very little the police can do about this freaky stuff."

"That's okay. If you're going to be too late, close to or after midnight, then it might be best to just stay where you are."

"What are you talking about, Souji?"

"I just have a very bad feeling, that's all. Be careful."

"Sure thing, Souji. I might see you later, and take care of Nanako for me."

"Of course."

Souji ended the call and looking at Yosuke, he shook his head in a negative. The brunette understood and nodded before focusing back on Nanako as he served dinner. His boyfriend was really fond of his cousin, and that made him smile.

He walked over to where his fox friend was lying, pulling one of her kits into his lap as he sat down beside her. He idly scratched her head, watching as she preened under the attention.

"You guys should stay inside tonight. I think it'll be safer for you."

The fox nodded in understanding before nudging Souji over to the table where Nanako and Yosuke had dinner set up and without any further a due, the three of them started eating, feeding the fox kits under the table.

* * *

Ryotaro Dojima sighed heavily as he drove his car through the deserted streets of Inaba from the police station towards home, driving much slower than usual due to the quantity of hellhounds that were roaming about.

He must have been crazy to leave the station.

Especially after his nephew's warning over the phone.

Souji Seta was not one to have random bouts of adolescent paranoia; in fact, he was more level-headed and serious than almost all the adults at least twice his age! Dojima worked with several of them!

So, why, he was asking himself, had he not paid attention to the time and listened to his incredibly smart and perceptive nephew?

"Too late, now." He muttered to himself, trying to stay focused as several of the beasts charged a little close to his car, reaching out to scratch at the metal and he cringed at the sound of their claws.

He pushed down on the gas, speeding past this particular pack of creatures, and he heaved a small sigh of relief.

Now if only he could make it home.

Tension slowly eased from the middle of his spine as he approached his street, now just a couple of blocks away, he Dojima looked forward to just collapsing in bed. Thank god he had tomorrow free, although the likelihood that he'd called in was very high, nonetheless, he desperately needed and wanted his day off!

Then he heard it, a humming sound from outside, as if from something electrical, before all the lights went out, dousing the night in pitch darkness, and killing his car.

Shit! The car spun out and collided with a metal fence railing, jolting him forward in his seat, and bringing back horrible flashbacks from last year, when Nanako had been kidnapped.

Head, pounding, he was able to bring himself back to reality, and he told himself that his daughter, his precious Nanako was at home, safe, with Souji, and once his head was reasonably clear, and something itched terribly on his back, he started rummaging around his now-cluttered space and grasped his gun holster, the police-issued standard weapon still secured firmly.

But how could a power outage short-circuit his car? If that's even what happened! The car battery is an independent system, so it shouldn't have happened, and his car shouldn't be dead.

"Crap." This was JUST what he needed!

He scrambled around a bit more and found a flashlight that should have worked, but, just like his car battery, the bloody, stupid blasted thing was dead.

Dojima peered out through the cracked windshield and into the darkness, and was relieved to recognize his surroundings; he was only two blocks from the safety of home.

Taking a look through the back windshield, the detective could already see the growing lights of a pack of hellhounds coming closer. They were still some distance away, from what he could guess, so maybe he could get home before they caught him.

He decided to take the chance, and forced open the car door, broken glass clattering noisily to the pavement as he got out and started walking away and quickly.

Luckily, he was just able to see with the light of the full moon above him, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy about it, as well.

Every stone statue had been found directly after the full and new moons. That wasn't a coincidence.

An eerie howl ringing through the empty night quickened his pace and he turned the corner onto his street, catching sight of his house, and flickering candlelight in one of the windows.

But at the end of the street past his home were three of those beasts, halting his footsteps.

They looked like they were waiting for him, and Dojima unclipped his gun from its holster.

What little light there was changed suddenly, startling Dojima and jerking his sharp gaze upwards, towards the moon. His breath caught in his throat at what he saw.

Red. The moon was red. Casting a sickly, bloody tinge across the world, the moon above, full in its gruesome, crimson splendor, was red, just like oozing blood and Dojima felt fear lurch its way into his throat.

Ominous growls from behind him tore his gaze from the ghastly sight above as he whirled about. Four more hellhounds were no less than a hundred feet from him, snarling as thick drool dribbled down onto the pavement.

They were hunters, and he was the hunted.

Crap! He bolted, sprinting for the relative safety of home, and he heard all the creatures charging after him, the three in front racing to cut him off before he could reach safety.

He pulled his gun out, and taking aim while he run, Dojima fired a shot, elated for a moment when he heard one of the hellhounds fall back with a pain-laced yip.

The front door of his house flew open, revealing his nephew Souji, his boyfriend Yosuke, and Nanako, standing in the open doorway, shocked to see him there.

Nanako tried running out to meet him halfway, but Dojima was glad when the Hanamura boy pulled her back and Souji stepped out in front of them, pulling something from his pocket.

By now, Dojima had made it up the driveway, mere feet away from the open doorway, when his legs collapsed from under as razor sharp teeth sliced into his left leg, forcing a pained scream from his throat.

He was vaguely aware of Nanako screaming, and Souji shouting something, but he hit the pavement then, his gun gone from his hand.

Powerful jaws started pulling him backwards, and he was just able to turn himself around enough to see a couple of the beasts snapping at each other if one got too close.

Later, he realized that's what saved his life.

* * *

Souji and Yosuke had been awake, waiting for midnight in anticipation of the moon's transformation, and Souji, for his part, was hoping that his uncle had stayed at the station.

The power had gone out only a few minutes before, and between the two of them, they were able to get enough candles lit to have a somewhat comforting glow in the living room, even if the fire lighting the candles was blue.

Then the gunshot was heard, terrifyingly close by, that had Nanako rushing downstairs from her sleep and all of them to the front door to see what was happening.

Souji wasn't to see his uncle racing towards them with a pack of hellhounds on his tail, gaining rapidly.

He knew his uncle wouldn't make it in time.

As Nanako tried to rush past him, Yosuke pulled the little girl back, telling her it wasn't safe and that she shouldn't be there, and Souji stepped in front of them, removing his Izanagi Tarot card from his pocket, to protect them.

Then Dojima was down, brought down by the hellhounds, and Souji leapt forward, scooping the gun his uncle always carried as it skittered into his path.

Time froze.

His vision flickered out, and he saw a boy in front of him, around his age, standing on the roof of a building that was slick with puddles of blood, tinged black by the light of a sickly green moon.

The boy, in a school uniform he thought he recognized, was skinny and kind of short with messy blue hair, and Souji felt a certain... kinship to this boy he had never met.

A voice in the back of his mind whispered to Souji. "The Fool, a Wild Card."

The boy, a Wild Card, like himself faced off against a giant monster wielding many swords, calmly placed a gun to the side of his head, a slightly glazed look to his eyes.

"Per...so...na."

He pulled the trigger and shards of light, tinkling like glass, exploded outward to swirl up behind him and coalesce into a figure, but the vision faded and time started up again.

Knowing now what to do, Souji held his Tarot card face out in front of him, placing the tip of the gun to the back of his hand, ignoring the shocked and frightened look on his uncle's face and ignoring the shouts from Yosuke, demanding to know what he was doing.

"Come forth, Izanagi!"

He pulled the trigger of the gun, shooting the back of his hand, ignoring the fiery pain that erupted, and watched as his blood began to shatter and circle back to him, twisting around his body until he could see nothing but crimson, glittering blood.

Oh, he felt the changes happening to his body, as his body lengthened in form, and his vision was slightly obstructed by a visor he recognized, and a familiar coat fluttered in a non-existent wind, a great polearm, the Ameno-nuboko polearm materialized in his clawed hand and as the remnants of his crystallized blood faded from view, he let out a great roar in challenge, leveling his weapon to the infernal beasts before him.

* * *

In the Port Island Kirijo Group office, it was another late night for one Mitsuru Kirijo, Chief Executive and Owner of the Group and one Akihiro Sanada, her acting advisor, bodyguard in view of the public, and close friend.

There was nothing unusual with these two individuals still being in the office, let alone awake, past midnight, but this night, they weren't focusing on the work involved in managing a large company.

Instead, their disbelieving eyes were glued to the large TV on the wall across from Mitsuru's large, mahogany desk, which was still neatly cluttered with various papers and folders.

Displayed prominently on the large screen TV was a ten foot Persona, one they didn't recognize, wielding a bladed polearm and killing several strange creatures they knew not to be Shadows.

Of course there were no Shadows. The Dark Hour was long over and dealt with.

The TV had flickered on in static first, drawing their attention from the still unfinished documents that Mitsuru had previously been working on, but was now forgotten, and together, they had watched, together, as a somehow familiar stranger had transformed into a Persona they knew nothing about.

Not released a Persona, but transformed into one.

Without taking his eyes away from the TV screen, Akihiko opened the laptop he carried everywhere with him and, playing back the constantly recorded footage, captured a shot of the older man, a detective, by the look of him, that had been attacked at the beginning of the footage, also capturing a shot of the silver-haired teen, for identification purposes.

As the battle came to a close, he proceeded to run both shots in every visual database at their disposal in an attempt to find out who these people were and where they were now.

The screen flickered back into static before shutting itself off, and the office was silent for a few moments.

"What do you think that was, Akihiko?"

"I'm not sure. But that was definitely a Persona!"

"On that, I agree." Akihiko's laptop beeped and the redhead pulled the machine closer to her. "There's a hit in the Inaba police database of the victim; Ryotaro Dojima of the Inaba Police Department, a detective. Immediate family, wife, deceased; daughter, Nanako; sister, recently deceased; and nephew, Souji Seta. Here's a picture of the nephew."

She brought up the picture on the laptop screen and Akihiko frowned. "The guy that turned into the Persona."

"Exactly." Further conversation was put on hold as Mitsuru's private cell phone rang, the shrill tone sharp in the quiet office. She pulled it out and answered, smiling briefly as she recognized the caller.

Akihiko waited as Mitsuru spoke with whoever it was calling and took the time to study the teenager on the computer screen in front of him.

Aside from the obvious physical differences, this Souji Seta reminded Akihiko someone he hadn't thought of, for fear of remembering, in a long time. He reminded him a great deal of Minato Arisato, his friend and leader who had died to save them all a few years ago. There was just something about this kid, something that was familiar, and he hated it.

Mitsuru finished up with her phone call, sighing as she put it away. "That was Fuuka, calling from her dorm in Tokyo. Apparently, we were not the only ones to witness this bizarre event. Something needs to be done about this, and I believe I know exactly what to do."

As his long time friend left her desk in search for something, Akihiko continued to stare at Seta's picture, trying to narrow down what it was that resembled their dear lost friend, Minato.

"Does this kid, Seta, remind you of Him?"

Mitsuru came back from wherever she had disappeared to, carrying a briefcase in hand. She glanced down at the picture, and she shrugged. "Perhaps a little. I would like you to go to Inaba, Akihiko, and investigate and assess this situation. If he really is a Persona user, we need to know about it. You might need these."

She held out the briefcase to Akihiko, and he took it from her, opening it up to check its contents. He looked up at her sharply. "You'll think I'll need these?"

"It's always good to be prepared."

He nodded. "Okay, I'll go. I can leave first thing in the morning. From what I know, Inaba's pretty far from here, it'll take me a day on the train to get there."

"Good luck, Akihiko."

"Thanks. I get the feeling I'll need it."

* * *

The last of those hellish beasts were destroyed, and Souji felt something snap inside of him, shattering the Izanagi façade he wore. He dropped down to his normal height as the last of the long coat and the polearm disintegrated away, and he turned for the house behind him.

The Hermit Fox had taken charge of Nanako, allowing Yosuke to pull Dojima into the safe confines of the house, and the slightly hysterical girl had, under Yosuke's instruction, pulled the first aid box down. Now Yosuke was disinfecting Dojima's leg while pulling out some bandages from the medical box, speaking quietly to the detective as he worked.

Souji shut the door behind him and knelt down beside his uncle, checking the wound with a frown. Yosuke had torn Dojima's pant leg up to the knee, to give himself some room to work, and while it had been bleeding a little heavily, the bleeding had about stopped.

"Uncle Dojima, are you okay?" He asked, putting a hand on the detective's shoulder, watching the older man grimace as Yosuke wrapped up the wound.

"I'll be fine." He grunted out, trying not to show the pain. "But what I would like to know is what the hell happened out there?"

"Let's get you fixed up and get Nanako back to bed, then I'll explain everything."

His uncle glared at him, scowling. "I'm holding you to that!"

Souji nodded, helping Yosuke to tie off the end of the bandage wrap, and while his boyfriend rummaged about for any kind of pain medication, Souji took Nanako upstairs and got her ready for bed again, the fox accompanying them.

"Big Bro?" Nanako's voice was quiet, trembling as she tried to hold herself together.

"Yes, Nanako-chan?"

"Is Dad going to be okay? I don't wanna lose him, too, like I lost Mom."

Souji smiled sadly at his cousin, remembering how the girl felt about her mother, and he remembered his own parents. "Nanako, he's going to be perfectly fine, I promise. Nothing is going to take him away from you."

"Okay. G'night, Big Bro." She closed her eyes sleepily and Souji moved away from her bed, smiling when the fox tossed her three kits onto the bed before jumping up herself, settling in beside Nanako.

"Thank you."

He hurried back downstairs, finding that Yosuke had gotten his uncle to take some pain pills and together, they hefted him up onto his good leg and got him settled comfortably on the couch.

Souji sat down at his usual spot in front of the small table by the couch and took a deep breath in preparation of the interrogation he was waiting for him by Dojima.

"Tell me what's going on. Now."

"Those things prowling outside? They're not normal; you can see that. They're supernatural, a beast from the Spirit world that is merging with ours." Souji looked at Dojima directly in the eyes, daring his uncle to contradict him. "I know you had suspicions last year, that my friends and I were somehow connected with the serial murders. Well, you were right."

"We figured out how they were getting killed, and it seemed that we had the power to stop it." Yosuke added in, flinching slightly from the detective's harsh glare.

"What I told you last year, about being able to get inside the TV was real, the truth, and that's where the killings were taking place. Adachi shoved the first two victims into the TV himself, and convinced Nametame that he would be saving them if Nametame pushed them in. It's entirely convoluted, and full of manipulation on Adachi's part, but right after the reporter's death, I found that I had the power to go to the world inside the TV."

"That makes no sense. That's... that's impossible." Dojima shook his head in denial.

"The TV was only a portal, the connection made by Izanami, and the world inside is the representation of people's hearts. We traveled there to rescue all the possible victims, fighting for our lives to protect those around us, to protect our friends. Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and Nanako would all be dead if Yosuke, Chie Satonaka, and I hadn't found the way inside the TV, and discovered the means to fight the monsters that were there, killing the victims." Souji spoke calmly, legs crossed and hands folded on his lap, and Dojima could not hear a word of a lie in anything his nephew was saying.

"...You mean that... thing you turned into. Speaking of that, why the hell would you shoot yourself?" Dojima demanded and Souji had the courtesy to fidget nervously.

"Yeah, about that, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time." He shrugged while his uncle fumed silently. "That was my Persona, the form and face of my true self, my inner self."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mentioned that the world inside the TV was the manifestation of what was inside the hearts and minds of people. We were to release our Personas for the first time in that world, so our Personas reflect a part of us deep inside our hearts." Souji withdrew the Izanagi Tarot card he'd stashed in his pocket after the battle and passed it to Dojima. The detective picked it up and studied it closely.

"Huh. It suits you."

"His name is Izanagi, and I guess that you could say that, well, Izanagi is a large part of me, of who I am."

Dojima turned to Yosuke, who flinched at the sudden scrutiny. "So, you got one of these... Personas, too?"

"Ah! Y-yeah." He removed his own card with Susano-o displayed and passed it to Dojima. "Name's Susano-o."

"That's the name of a god, isn't it? Celtic, or something like that?"

"I think so. Never really thought about it before."

"So what happens now, Souji?"

"Now? Nothing's changed. I will still fight, just like I always have since coming here, and I will stop the merging of our worlds, with the help of my friends and the Personas we wield. Now that your eyes have been opened to the truth, you can help us, on the public side of things. When your leg's healed, you can go about your job like always, or you can deny everything I've just said, and have me committed, because it does sound insane, and you'll doom us all."

Dojima glared darkly at his nephew. "Great endorsement of the faith you have in me, Souji. Thanks."

"Sure thing." He grinned at his uncle impudently. "Now I think we should get some sleep; I, for one, need it badly."

* * *

A/N: CHAPTER 6 IS DONE! I WILL GET STARTED ON CHAPTER 7 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT FOR NOW, IT'S TIME FOR BED! AS ALWAYS, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW LETTING ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR, AND THAT WOULD BE GREAT! THANKS!


	7. Chapter 7

P4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.

CHAPTER 7

The next morning, as Souji and Yosuke walked to school together, they kept noticing that everyone they passed was gossiping quietly, a frantic, excited energy buzzing through the air. Was this because of last night? If so, how was that possible?

"Dude, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Not one clue."

"Let's find the others, maybe they know what's going on."

"Good call."

They reached the school without incident and found their friends assembled together in the classroom. As it was still a little early before the day would start, Souji found, to his surprise, that everyone from his Social Links that would be at Yasogami was assembled there, gathered around his and Yosuke's desks.

"Souji! Yosuke! Get over here!" Chie said, motioning them over.

Ai latched onto his arm as soon as he was within reach. "Ah, it was horrible! What was that thing last night?"

Souji and Yosuke glanced at each other, baffled, and both Yukiko and Naoto caught the silent exchange.

"You mean, you didn't witness it on the TV?" Naoto asked, and Souji shook his head.

"No, what are you talking about?"

"There was this monster on the TV last night, fighting off a pack of those dogs!" Kou said from his place beside Chie. "I've never seen anything like it, not at all."

Ayane then gave them an accurate description of Izanagi, and it was all Souji could do to keep a straight face. The good news was that it seemed that nobody had seen him transform into his Persona, just the fight after.

"How come you guys didn't see it?" Daisuke asked.

"Ah, well, we were... preoccupied. My uncle, the detective, got hurt last night by some of those hellhounds, hurt his leg. Also, there was a power outage that killed Dojima's car." Souji shrugged. "It was weird; like suddenly electricity didn't exist."

"Is Dojima-san okay?" Rise asked, and Souji nodded.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's staying home for a few days."

"Did you know that was going to happen?" Startled eyes turned to stare at Naoki. "You sent all of us home yesterday. It was like you knew."

Souji shook his head. "I knew something bad was going to happen, but I didn't know what, exactly. I just had a feeling, that's all."

"It's kinda weird, you know?" Yumi stated. "Everything that's been happening, and now your warning yesterday. You sure you don't know anything?"

Souji could only shrug helplessly. "I've always been perceptive to, well, everything. I know there's a reason for what's been happening, but it's only a feeling to me. You guys know that I've always been perceptive."

Daisuke gave him a look. "I get the feeling that you're keeping something from us, but I trust you to let us know about whatever it is if we need to know about it. Until then, well, I'll deal."

The others gave their mutual agreement to the soccer player's words before leaving the room for their own respective classroom, leaving Souji alone with his fellow Persona users.

"You will tell us the details of the incident last night to us during the lunch period, correct?" Naoto asked, picking up her bag and moving to Rise's side.

Souji nodded. "I will."

"Then we'll wait." Kanji said before leading the younger girls from the room. Chie and Yukiko frowned at him and Yosuke, concerned for them.

"Is everything okay, though? You guys didn't get hurt?"

Yosuke shook his head. "Only Dojima-san, and he'll be okay soon."

"That's good." Yukiko didn't get a chance to say anything else as Kashiwagi called the class to attention and the school day got started.

Souji found it hard to pay attention to his classes that morning, and he could see that the others were also tense, waiting to hear his version of the previous night's events, and what this could mean for them in their fight to save the world.

When the lunch bell rang, he found himself surrounded by the others, and quietly, he told them about the previous night's incident, including his vision of the other unknown teen, which had led him to shooting himself. He hadn't even told Yosuke of it yet.

Naoto was curious about the teen from Souji's vision. "So he said the word 'Persona'?"

Souji nodded. "Yes, before he shot himself in the head. It was very disturbing, but because his brains didn't get splattered, it gave me the idea of using Dojima's gun to release Izanagi."

"But that was still very reckless, Senpai!" Rise pouted at him. "What if it hadn't worked?"

"But it did, so there's no point in thinking about it." Souji shrugged, holding up his hand, wrapped up and bandaged. "But I didn't get through it completely unscathed. As you can see, shooting myself did hurt me, but not as bad, I think, as it would have been under more normal circumstances."

"If you say so, but what are the rest of us gonna do?" Kanji asked, clearly not comfortable with the idea of shooting himself in order to help save the world.

"And where are we going to get the weapons? Only Naoto-kun has a permit to carry her pistol, as part of her job as a detective." Yukiko said, and Souji could only shake his head.

"I don't know. Maybe something will turn up."

* * *

The train pulled into Inaba station sometime in the afternoon, and it wasn't until Akihiko Sanada had shouldered his one bag and stepped off the train that he noticed the abnormal environment that completely enveloped the town.

Then again, how could he not notice the decayed mailbox beside the station entrance, or the strange almost-invisible things hovering in the air, or the floating balls of blue fire?

He took this all in with one glance around before digging in his pocket for his cell phone. With a press of a button on his speed dial, he smirked as the other end was picked up before the second ring.

"You have arrived, Akihiko?"

"Yes, Mitsuru. Something is definitely going on in this town. I'll get back to you once I've found the kid."

"Good luck, Akihiko."

"Thanks." He hung up, dropping his phone into his pocket before setting off into town.

He had a picture of his objective in his leather-covered hand, preferring to wear his customary gloves for this investigation. He knew he stood out in his suit that Mitsuru had insisted on, but he found he was actually comfortable in the expansive clothes his best friend had provided for him. Dressed in tan colored slacks with a matching suit jacket slung over his shoulder with his bag, a black button-down collared dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, accented with a striking red tie, he looked like a prominent businessman or perhaps a lawyer.

Mitsuru had already made arrangements for him to stay at Inaba's famous Amagi Inn so with the directions she'd given him; he hurried over to drop off his things before canvassing the streets for his mystery Persona user.

One of the employees of the Inn had told him, upon seeing the photo, that the kid was definitely a high-schooler, and also friends with the Inn owner's daughter, and perhaps they were still at the school.

Now armed with directions to Yasogami High School, Akihiko proceeded into the central core of the town, and was troubled to see the state of the dilapidated Shopping District, and the scale of the destruction.

Something was definitely not right with this town, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be as easy as just finding his objective target.

Why did things have to get complicated?

Then again, when _didn't_ things get complicated?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Akihiko asked around some of the stores, and he found out that the kid was a frequent visitor to the Chinese food restaurant, was friends with the delinquent son of the textiles shop owner, and that Yasogami was out for the day, but maybe the kid was still there.

Akihiko continued his way towards the high school, absently wondering why he couldn't seem to call the kid by his name, even in his own mind. Maybe Akihiko didn't want to get personal, and calling the kid by his name would make it personal for him, because of that weird familiarity he felt when he'd witnessed the battle last night on the TV, a familiarity that still strongly reminded Akihiko of Minato.

He hated the fact that Minato had chosen to die for them, he hated feeling so helpless as to depend on him to keep them safe, to continue being the barrier keeping Nyx at bay.

But even with that ordeal with the Abyss of Time, and learning what had become of his friend, Akihiko still, even given the choice again, would not have changed a thing.

Because despite it all, only Minato was strong enough to keep fighting, and Akihiko had to do his part in keeping Minato strong, since he figured that Minato relied on them, the friends he'd left behind to be his strength.

So Akihiko would continue to be Minato's strength, since it was the only he could figure to repay the debt.

A figure ahead of him, walking towards him, towards the Shopping District behind him, broke through Akihiko's morbid and depressing thoughts, and he frowned.

Ahead of him was a tall teenager, just slightly taller than him, and a bit broader in the shoulder, too. Bleached blonde hair that was slicked back, several piercings in both ears, a nose stud, a scar right above one eye, and a skull-n-crossbones tattoo on his arm clearly labeled the teen as a delinquent, possibly a gang member, and Akihiko recalled that his target was friends with the town delinquent. Also, the blonde teen ahead of him was carrying a shield of some kind, although Akihiko couldn't begin to fathom a reason for it.

With a small smirk, he approached the teen with confidence, unfazed by the sudden suspicious glare that was thrown his way.

"Excuse me, would I be able to ask you a few questions?"

The teen narrowed his eyes. "What about? And who're you?"

"Akihiko Sanada, of the Kijiro Group. I'm looking for someone; maybe you can help me. And you are?"

The blonde hesitated just for a second or two. "Kanji Tatsumi. Who're you lookin' for, and what makes you think I can help?"

Akihiko flashed his target's photo to the teen, Tatsumi, and he smirked inwardly at the slight flash of recognition in the delinquent's blue eyes. This kid knew something, and Akihiko was now determined to find out what.

"Have you seen him? I hear he goes to Yasogami High, which, by your jacket, you do too. It's important that I speak with him."

But Tatsumi took a step back, away from Akihiko. "Why do you need to talk to Senpai? What's this Kirijo Group? Everything was taken care of, so there'd be no reason for someone like you to need to see him!"

Apparently Tatsumi was protective of his 'Senpai'.

"That is a matter for me to discuss with him, so I suggest that you cooperate, and since I believe that you know where Seta is, you're going to take me to him for our little chat." Akihiko said, and Tatsumi snarled.

"Hell no! Not until you tell me what you need to talk to him about!"

Akihiko was impressed, annoyed but impressed. This kid was standing up to him with the intentions of protecting his friend. It was quite admirable, and if Akihiko had been anyone else, he would have quit already in the face of Tatsumi's imposing menace, as the kid was dangerous.

He was also intrigued at his own reactions to Tatsumi. The delinquent made him want to fight again. He wanted to spar again, either verbally or physically, it didn't matter which, and this kid in front of him was also a fighter.

Akihiko remembered something that Minato had once told him. He had told Akihiko that he was the Emperor, and as the Emperor he was strong and would never falter in his convictions, and his strength, his inner strength would never fade.

And Minato's words were true. Akihiko had not once given up on anything he believed in, especially since hearing those words spoken so long ago.

It was strange, because this kid called out to his soul, like a kindred spirit, and it certainly helped that Tatsumi was fairly attractive too.

Wait a minute.

_Where_ had _that_ thought come from?

Shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts, Akihiko focused on Tatsumi, mentally sizing him up like he would an opposing fighter in the ring. "Alright, fine, kid. It has to do with the events of last night. Both myself and my employer witnessed it, and I've been sent to search him out."

"And what the hell do you want with him?"

"Again, that's a discussion I'll have with your precious 'Senpai' only."

A frustrated snarl from Tatsumi was his only warning, but it was warning enough, and Akihiko easily dodged the first punch, ducking under his taller opponent's arm to get in closer.

But it turned out that Tatsumi wasn't stupid, and the teen jumped out of the way of Akihiko's retaliating jab long enough to bring around the shield he carried.

The thing was massive, and Akihiko wasn't able to get too close a look at it before the shield made contact with his shoulder, sending him skidding across the pavement. The boxer stared as Kanji settled into a battle stance, holding the shield in one hand against the ground, and he realized that the blonde street fighter didn't use the damn thing like it was meant to be used; as a freaking form of defense!

"That all ya got?"

Akihiko grimaced at the taunt, eyes narrowing as he lifted himself off the pavement, dusting off his shirt as he did so. Cracking his knuckles loudly, Akihiko settled into his own familiar battle stance, fists raised before him.

"You've seen nothing yet."

He didn't allow the kid to respond, leaping forward with all the speed his slightly smaller frame gave him, ducking low beneath the shield Tatsumi wielded, spinning around and getting behind and with two quick movements, Tatsumi was unarmed, the shield clanging noisily against the concrete, and the kid was on the ground, pinned beneath Akihiko with both arms behind his back and Akihiko's knee digging in.

"Get offa me! Fuck, fine! I'll bring you to Souji-Senpai, just get the fuck off me!" Kanji squirmed beneath the stranger's knee that fucking hurt like hell, digging into his back like that, and it pissed him off that he couldn't move, not even an inch.

"That a promise?" Kanji could almost hear the damn smirk. "You'll behave?"

"Goddamnit, I'm a man of my word! Now get off my back before I make you, you little punk!" They both knew it was an empty threat.

Then Sanada's weight was gone, and Kanji's arms were free again, and he slowly picked himself up off the ground, rolling his shoulders to try and relieve some of the ache from being pinned.

The thought of Sanada's weight on top of him had Kanji blushing a little, although he'd never admit it. Punk was good, damn good, though, at fighting, and if Kanji was right in his guess, he'd say that Sanada was probably professionally trained or something.

Akihiko waited patiently with his arms crossed as Tatsumi got to his feet, glowering at him. The kid was looking a little flushed, but that was probably just embarrassment at having his ass handed to him.

He watched as the blonde picked up his shield, slinging it across his back like a school bag before glaring in Akihiko's direction and stalking off past him, heading more into town. The boxer only smirked and gathered up his suit jacket from where he'd dropped to fight Tatsumi before following the blonde.

As they quickly past the Shopping District, heading in a direction to the north of the town, Tatsumi reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Without looking at the older male beside him, keeping pace with him, he dialed a number.

Kanji didn't even wait until Souji fully acknowledged him on the other end of the line. "Senpai, are you home yet?"

Akihiko listened carefully to the half-conversation and he could even hear someone's voice on the other end. A glimpse at his surroundings revealed a residential neighborhood but they passed a wrecked car that was still in the process of getting towed away. He could see scratches on the side of the vehicle, and he wondered what kind of beast had made them.

"Is Dojima-san there, too? 'Cuz you're about to get some company. We'll be there in a few minutes." Kanji hung up, pocketing his phone.

"Dojima? The detective?"

"If you really know what happened, you know that he got hurt."

Kanji took him to the last house on the street, knocking once on the door before it was by another teen, a brunette with red headphones around his neck, and upon seeing Akihiko, the other teen's brown eyes narrowed.

The brunette returned his attention to Kanji, jerking his head in Akihiko's direction. "The company you mentioned?"

"Yeah. Punk's good at scrappin', too."

"Souji's waiting inside with Dojima, and fortunately Nanako-chan's with a friend, so we won't have any interruptions, either."

They were ushered inside, and they removed their shoes before stepping fully into the house. Akihiko could the kitchen immediately off to the left, opening up into a decent-sized living room.

He recognized the detective from the video as Ryotaro Dojima, still disheveled and bandaged up from the attack the previous night, glaring at him suspiciously as he walked further into the room. Then Akihiko caught his first look at his target, and, to be honest, he stared.

Souji Seta was above average in height for his age group, but not quite as tall as Tatsumi, with gray-silver hair that swept across gray eyes, and the way he held himself, cool and aloof at first glance, with an unshakable, confident determination that strongly, no, fiercely reminded Akihiko so much of Minato that he almost stopped breathing.

For a moment, all Akihiko could see was Minato standing before him, superimposed against Seta, looking as he had been when they had faced Nyx together.

"Who are you?"

Seta's voice, cautious and distant, brought Akihiko back from his memories, and he pulled out his Kirijo Group ID card, flashing to Seta. "Akihiko Sanada of the Kirijo Group, formerly of S.E.E.S., here to investigate a certain incident that occurred very recently."

"What you've just said means nothing to me." Souji shrugged. "Tell me something that does, and we'll talk. Meanwhile, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. You too, Kanji, Yosuke."

The other two teens in the room nodded, and once settled on the couch or around the small table, Akihiko decided to get to the point.

"What do you know of the Dark Hour?"

Confusion flashed across Souji's face, and Akihiko frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Dark Hour, the only time in which we can summon our Personas; how did you summon yours last night?"

This time, alarm was apparent in Souji's expression. "I have no idea what this Dark Hour is, that you're talking about!"

"If you know nothing of the Dark Hour, how do you know of your Persona?"

Souji could see that the subject was making the adult across from him uneasy, and he suspected it had something to do with him, but he couldn't figure out why. He knew he had a choice to make, a decision in whether to trust this complete stranger with the truth of their Personas and the world inside the TV, and as he contemplated, a memory surfaced, and he recalled what Igor had said of his mysterious predecessor. He wondered if this Akihiko Sanada was connected to the other Fool and Wild Card.

With these thoughts swirling around in his head, Souji made his decision and explained to Akihiko about the world inside the TV, and their battle against Izanami, explaining the ordeals they had gone through to lift the fog on their souls and face their true selves, revealing their Personas.

Silence descended after his somewhat lengthy explanation, and he allowed the man sitting across from him a few moments to go over his words.

"So how is it, Akihiko Sanada, of the Kirijo Group, that you know about our Personas?"

Akihiko smirked at him, pride glinting in his cool eyes. "Because I, too, wield one. My Persona's name is Caesar."

"And the Dark Hour? Could you explain that to me?"

The story Akihiko told him sounded almost unbelievable, as he described the Dark Hour, and what had caused it, and what he and his friends had done to bring it to an end. From Akihiko, Souji learned of Tartarus, the Harbinger Nyx, and how they had prevented what he called the Fall, giving the world a future. He also learned the secret about the full moon, remembering that Igor had mentioned it once before.

The largest revelation Souji learned was that Akihiko's friend and leader had sacrificed himself to become the Seal, protecting them forever, and Souji had a flash of memory again, of the previous night when he'd had that vision of the boy with blue hair shooting himself.

"The friend you lost, your leader..." Akihiko frowned as Souji hesitated, not sure of his words to proceed. "He wouldn't happen to have been kind of short with blue hair that fell in front of his face, would he?"

The sharp intake of breath and the widening of blue/gray eyes answered his question, and as Souji studied Akihiko, he could see that his mentioning of the other Wild Card had hit a sore spot in the boxer, since Akihiko's face was pale, a stricken look to him, and his gloved hands were clenched tightly in fists.

It took a few tense moments before Akihiko could speak. "How... how do you know of him?"

Souji suddenly felt guilty. The subject was obviously a sore and trying for the man across from him, and here he was, rubbing his face in it. "He and I, well, we have a mutual acquaintance who helps me with my Personas. That acquaintance has mentioned your friend to me before. I also saw him in a vision, right before I transformed into Izanagi. That vision gave me the idea of shooting myself."

Through all the explanations, Yosuke, Kanji and Dojima had remained silent, watching the two of them as they spoke to each other. But now, Dojima leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with a sigh.

"Yosuke, could you grab some Advil from above the sink, please? My leg is killing me. And Souji, I still think it was stupid idea to use my gun like that." The detective nearly snarled, but it lacked any heat behind it. Akihiko looked at him, frown in place.

"You have an Evoker? Where did you get one?"

"Evoker? What the hell's that? I've just got a standard police-issued automatic." Suspicion gleamed in Dojima's eyes, and Souji felt his stomach sink.

Akihiko seemed to realize the situation and pulled the small briefcase he'd been carrying onto the small table. "Only one person in my group of Persona Users didn't use an Evoker, but then again, she was built and programmed to not need one. The rest of us had to go through the disturbing process of summoning our respective Personas using this."

From the briefcase, Akihiko removed an object that Souji had only seen once before, in the vision of his predecessor. It was sleek and shiny, obviously brand new and had never been used, the metal gleaming in the light of the room, and Souji could only stare at it.

He reached across the table, hand shaking slightly as he took the imitation gun from Akihiko's gloved hand. It fit perfectly in his palm, and for a brief second, Souji flashed back to his vision from the previous night, and he could hear, just barely, the soft whisper invoking the being inside his mind.

"The Evoker you're holding is a gun, a weapon, but at the same time, it isn't, not in the conventional sense as we know it." Akihiko explained. "I don't know the specific mechanics of how it works like it does, but it does function as it should. The feeling you get from shooting yourself in the head is real, too."

Kanji spoke up for the first time since the explanations started. "How can you do that?"

Akihiko smirked at the bleach blonde. "It wasn't easy, and some of us had some serious problems with the method, but it was the only thing we had."

"I assume you have permits for these... Evokers?" Dojima spoke up, and Akihiko nodded.

"Of course. Not that I ever carried my Evoker outside the Dark Hour before, but Mitsuru, my boss in this case, felt it was a necessary precaution. I also have permits for each Evoker I have with me; they only need to be filled out with some names and filed." Akihiko smirked at Souji. "I have one for each person on your team, and some extras, since I was unaware as to how many I'd be needing."

Yosuke had stopped paying attention to the conversation, instead looking at his boyfriend with a frown. The silverette hadn't responded since grabbed the Evoker, gray eyes slightly vacant, as though listening to something none of them could hear.

"Souji?"

His partner blinked suddenly, staring at the weapon he held. "Akihiko, can you hear your Persona when you hold the Evoker?"

The boxer was taken by surprise by the sudden question. "Um, no. Caesar doesn't really have a voice."

Souji glanced at Yosuke, and his uncle and Kanji, then to Akihiko, hearing the unvoiced query hanging in the air. "Izanagi spoke to me just now, swearing to fight beside like he always has, and when the time comes, he will choose."

"Choose?" Kanji asked, bemused. "Choose what?"

Souji could only shake his head. "He didn't say."

"I don't know about you kids," Dojima announced. "But it's been a long day, my meds are starting to kick in, and I want to get to bed, even though it's still early. Night's over."

The others assembled nodded, and the detective recruited Kanji to help him upstairs to his bed, since he still couldn't put any real weight on his leg, and the pain pills were starting to make him unsteady. Akihiko removed two more Evokers from his case, along with the paperwork for them, leaving them for Yosuke and Kanji before taking his leave with a nod to Souji.

"Hey, Akihiko?"

The boxer turned back to glance at Souji. "Yes?"

"Don't leave town anytime soon. I have the feeling that you will play an important role in the events to come."

Akihiko snorted, a small grin in place. "You sound just like him. Don't worry; I won't go anywhere. I'll be at the Inn if you need to reach me."

Yosuke heaved a huge sigh as the door clicked shut. "Man, this is too much. Who would of guessed there were other Personas than ours, huh Partner?"

Souji looked back down to the Evoker in his grip. "Yeah. Who would have?"

* * *

A/N: AND HERE'S CHAPTER 7! YAY! THE END WAS FRUSTRATING, IT DIDN'T WANT TO END, BUT THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO LEAVE IT, SO HUZZAH! JUST A NOTE TO MY READERS, I AM NOW A FULL TIME STUDENT AT COLLEGE, ALSO WORKING PART TIME IN A RETAIL CRAFT STORE WITH THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IN FULL SWING, AND I'LL BE WORKING ON TWO WEBCOMICS AS WELL. THIS MEANS THAT UPDATES WON'T BE AS FREQUENT, MUCH TO THE DISMAY OF FOLLOWERS OF MY OTHER FICS-IN-PROGRESS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU GUYS WILL HAVE TO BE PATIENT. I AM ALWAYS WORKING ON SOMETHING; I JUST HAVE A LOT OF THINGS ON THE GO. THANKS FOR READING, AND LEAVE A REVIEW!


	8. Chapter 8

PERSONA 4: EVERSION

LADY SHINIGAMI

DISCLAIMER: THE USUAL.

CHAPTER 8

* * *

Somehow, Souji was not at all surprised to see Akihiko waiting at the school gates after classes ended the next day, dressed imacculately in black, a large briefcase at his feet.

"Go get the others," he said to Yosuke beside him. "Tell them to meet us at my house."

"Sure thing, Partner." Despite his easy agreement, Yosuke cast an edgy glance towards the boxer. "You're sure about this guy?"

Souji nodded, smiling fondly at his protective lover. "Yeah, I get the feeling I can trust him. I'll see you soon."

Yosuke nodded before going back inside the school building in search of the others, pulling out his cell phone at the same time, presumably to call Teddie. Souji watched him for a moment before turning his attention to Akihiko.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Only a few minutes. I would like to speak to your team."

"You will. We'll meet up with them at my place."

"Why there, if I may ask?"

Souji grinned at the older boxer walking beside him. "First off, I'll have the home field advantage, and when Dojima's busted leg, I need to be there for my little cousin."

Akihiko was silent for a while as they walked along the Samagawa, regarding him with an assessing stare, one that Souji refused to be intimidated by.

Finally, Akihiko broke the silence. "You share a lot of similarities with him, but you're so different. He had no family, well, before we became his family, but even after all we'd been through together, he was still distant from us. You seem much closer to your team."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Souji said. "I lost my parents in a car crash in April, before I came back here, and if it weren't for the close bonds I had developed here, I might have been the same way."

In short order, they arrived at the Dojima residence and Souji greeted Nanako as she came running. "How was your day, Nanako?"

"It was fun! We got to do an art project in class!" She paused at the sight of Akihiko next to Souji and moved to hide behind her 'big bro'.

"Oh, this is Akihiko Sanada, a friend of mine from the city. Is your Dad listening to doctor's orders and staying off his leg?"

Nanako nodded wordlessly before running back into the living room. With a shrug, Souji led Akihiko out of the front entrance of his home where his uncle was sitting on the couch, looking like he was bored out of his mind with his impromptu vacation.

"Oh, you're home. And I see that your... friend is back. Is the rest of your group coming over, too?" Dojima asked, and Souji nodded in reply.

"Yeah, we have a few things to talk about, and you're more than welcome to listen in, too." Souji said. "Yosuke should be here with the rest of them in a few minutes or so."

"Sure, make yourselves comfortable."

Nanako disappeared into her room, uncomfortable with a stranger around, and Souji started to make tea for everyone while Akihiko set his briefcase down at the table, removing a small stack of papers and setting them down.

It wasn't long before the others arrived, and Kanji, upon seeing Akihiko, grimaced in plain distrust, prompting Chie and the other girls to look back and forth between the two, confusion clearly written in the faces.

"Uh, Senpai?" Rise asked. "Who is this?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Chie moved into the room, settling on the couch beside Dojima.

"You might as well get comfortable." Souji said, setting the tea down on the table. "This is going to be a bit to take in at first. By the way, meet Akihiko Sanada. You could say that he is our predecessor."

His statement certainly grabbed their attention, so Souji explained everything that had happened yesterday, from Kanji's confrontation to Akihiko's presence in Inaba, bringing Teddie and the girls up to speed.

"Although the methods and circumstances of my group's Personas differ from your own," Akihiko spoke up once Souji had finished. "We were able to summon them in this world, even if it was during a hidden hour of the night. I can provide you with the means of summoning in this world."

He passed the documents to the girls and Teddie, since Souji, Yosuke and Kanji had already been given the permits to sign the previous evening. "The permits are just waiting for your signatures, then I can send them to my boss to be submitted."

"What exactly are these weapons that you'll be providing us with?" Naoto asked, eyes skimming the permit rapidly.

Without responding, Akihiko unlocked and opened his ever-present briefcase, pulling out the Evokers one by one, much to the surprise of the others. "This weapon, called an Evoker, will allow you to summon your Personas with very little to no injury. However, due to their uncanny resemblance to pistols, the permits are needed."

Chie raised her hand timidly. "Um, so you're saying that we're gonna have to... uh, shoot ourselves?"

"Exactly. However, you should be spared the... experience of aiming at your own skulls," He almost smirked at the reactions garnered from his words. "I believe that Seta's first instinct of firing at your hand will do the job."

"The choice is yours." Souji said firmly. "I know you've all sworn to fight beside me, together like we've always done, but if you're in any way even slightly uncomfortable with this method, don't feel obligated. I want all of you to be safe, first and foremost."

Nothing was said as Souji's friends looked to one another, silently communicating through the minute movements. Dojima sat among them, watching them solemnly, secretly astounded at the level of calm and maturity these kids were displaying.

If he hadn't witnessed it first hand, he'd still have trouble believing it, let alone staying calm enough to make such an enormous decision.

Right at that moment, Dojima was so proud of his nephew.

"Souji," Yosuke said, a grin starting to form. "You're an idiot!"

The silverette blinked, not expecting that answer, although he probably should have.

"It don't matter what we gotta do, Senpai." Kanji spoke up. "We're with ya all the way."

"That should have been evident from the very beginning." Naoto said her piece as well, as Souji started blushing lightly.

"Yeah!"

Akihiko chuckled lightly, a small grin turning up one corner of his mouth. "Looks like you've got one hell of a team. I'm actually kind of jealous."

Surprised, Souji blinked at the boxer. "Why?"

The grin turned bitter. "Without Minato there to lead us, we probably wouldn't have made it as far as we did. Your team is as loyal to each other as they are to you. I shouldn't have to tell you how rare that is."

One by one, everyone handed back the signed permits to Akihiko and in turn, the boxer fitted them all with their new Evokers and holsters, along with small permit cards, to avoid any issues with the Inaba Police Department.

As Akihiko closed his briefcase, he changed the subject. "So, I've been curious; what do you guys use for weapons?"

"Yeah," Dojima said slowly. "What weapons do you use?"

It kind of clued in to them that Dojima was still a detective. "Uh..."

"I know that you," Dojima pointed to Yosuke. "Use large knives or kunai of some kind. Tatsumi must be using that huge shield I've seen him lug around; Shirogane must be using her pistol, as she's a detective herself and is authorized to carry one. And you, Souji, you carry around a katana carrying case, but I'm interested in what the rest of you use."

Rise shook her head. "I don't carry a weapon; my Persona is strictly support-based only. I can provide an analysis of the enemy and offer some healing, too."

"Actually, Dojima-san, while I do use a firearm in combat, it is not my police-issued one." Naoto removed her gun from its holster at her waist to show to Dojima. It was more like a small cannon. "This is called the Black Hole. A .454 combat pistol with 10mm explosive steel rounds, designed purely for extreme combat conditions, and made with a special and extremely rare alloy, making it a lightweight weapon. A work of art, really."

"My weapons are boots, called Moses' Miracle." Chie said, pointing to a pair of subtly armored boots at the front door. "They look like a pair of regular, but expensive boots, but they're actually covered in a diamond-hard plated armor, allowing for full mobility and lined with neat padding on the insides, so I don't break anything but still giving the power. They look great, too."

Yukiko removed a deceptively delicate looking fan from behind her back. "This is the Boundless Sea. Each rod is made of a titanium-based alloy, sharpened to a razor sharp point, connected with razor wire. It can cleanly slice through almost anything, and I can direct its flight with a tripwire attached to my wrist."

"I actually haven't been in a fight on this side yet, but I fight with my bear claw, the Spirit Fang!" Teddie chirped excitedly. "Sensei got it for me, so I don't actually know what it's made of, but it's my best weapon."

"This side?" Akihiko asked and Souji nodded.

"Yeah, you know that world inside the TV I told you about?" The boxer nodded slowly. "Teddie is a resident of that world. Until he met us, he was just a Shadow that wanted peace for his world."

"A Shadow...? Amazing."

"My shield's actually called the Perun Plate. Strong enough to take a beating, light enough for me to swing it around easily, and once you've been hit by it, kinda hard to walk away so easily." Kanji glared at Akihiko, still sore about getting beat in a fight.

"Dojima-san is right." Yosuke said. "I use a pair of ninja long knives called the Malakh. Made with the same alloy that Naoto's Black Hole, and perfectly balanced, I've never come across a better set of blades. Virtually indestructible, too."

"And I carry the Blade of Totsuka, a katana of myth believed to be a weapon of the gods," Souji said, patting the sword case beside him. It never left his side. "We can carry these with us, hiding in plain sight, so that we're never caught off guard."

"Impressive."

"You lot just better be careful with this shit, okay?" Dojima demanded, adding a glare for good measure. "Now get out of here and go home before it gets dark."

Souji bid his friends goodnight as they left the house, except for Yosuke, who was staying the night again, and Akihiko was the last one to leave.

The boxer paused on the threshold before turning around with his hand extended in a handshake. "I look forward to working with you and your team."

Souji accepted the extended hand, shaking it firmly. "Me too. Maybe fresh eyes will provide me with a solution." He reached into his jacket pocket where he kept the blank tarot cards from Igor and withdrew one; passing it, face down, to Akihiko.

"What's this?" Akihiko turned the card over, gray eyes going wide as Caesar appeared on the surface. "But how?"

"You can now call your Persona outside of that Dark Hour you told me about. I guess you could say that you're part of the team now."

Akihiko left after that, exchanging cell phone numbers with Souji and Dojima asked Yosuke to help get Nanako ready for bed.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something." Dojima said to Souji as soon as Yosuke and Nanako were out of earshot. "I noticed something this morning, after you'd left, but I think it might be related to what happened the other night."

Souji frowned. "What is it?"

Dojima turned so that his back was to his nephew, lifting the bottom of his shirt up to reveal his lower back. There was a small mark or tattoo on the detective's lower back, to the left of his spine, and it was something that Souji immediately recognized as something that defined Dojima to him. On his back was the symbol of the Hierophant, the triple cross of Dojima's Social Link.

"It wasn't there before the other night." Dojima looked over his shoulder to Souji, trying to gauge his expression. "All I remember is this itch right after the car died, and I didn't think about it again until I noticed it this morning after I showered. Any ideas?"

Souji nodded. "I think I might have an idea, but I don't know if it's connected to what's going on with the supernatural stuff that's been happening. I'll inform you if I come across anything similar, okay?"

"To make sure your theory's right?" At Souji's nod, Dojima sighed. "Sure, that works. Now get your ass to bed, and I don't wanna hear anything, got it?"

Souji stammered in protest, all flustered, as Dojima laughed at his expense, limping his way to bed. Sighing in defeat, Souji cleaned up the living room, piled the dishes into the sink and turned off the lights, leaving the light on out on the back porch to the Hermit fox and her kits, before making his way upstairs to his room where Yosuke was waiting for him on the couch.

"Hey, Partner. You sure you can trust Akihiko?"

Souji sat down next to his boyfriend. "Yeah, I'm sure. He is a Persona user."

"Yeah, but when you think about it, so was Adachi."

"True, but I don't think that my 'Wild Card' predecessor would have trusted him so easily if he was like Adachi."

"Wild Card?"

Souji nodded. "Yeah, it's the term for my multiple Persona ability. Akihiko speaks fondly of him, so I think he meant a lot to our new ally. But I think its way past time to change the subject." He said, grinning at Yosuke.

"Oh yeah?" Yosuke smirked at him. "You have something in mind?"

"Yeah," Souji crawled across his lover to straddle his lap, tangling his fingers in Yosuke's hair. "A little experiment to see how quiet you can be."

The brunette beneath him raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "Oh, really?"

Souji silenced him with a kiss, cradling Yosuke's neck while stroking the sensitive skin with his thumbs, eliciting a muffled moan for his efforts.

Yosuke's hands grabbed at his waist, holding him in place as Souji deepened the kiss, running his tongue along soft lips before delving in the taste his lover's mouth.

Yosuke moved his hands up to the front of Souji's uniform shirt, fumbling just a bit with the buttons before sliding the shirt down Souji's arms, the silverette obliging him by shifting, never breaking the kiss.

Souji returned the favor by removing both Yosuke's uniform shirt and the t-shirt he wore beneath it, tossing the clothing to the floor beside the couch. He pulled away from the kiss, gasping lightly with a wicked smile.

"I think we should move this to the futon, don't you?"

Yosuke nodded weakly, eyes widening as Souji stripped off his t-shirt while still straddling him, revealing toned muscle and smooth skin. He could feel his erection building already, and he could hardly restrain himself, with Souji acting incredibly sexy on top of him like that!

Souji climbed off of Yosuke, making sure to rub against a certain part of his lover's anatomy, before quickly preparing the futon for the night. He turned back around to Yosuke, unzipping his jeans with a gleam in his eyes. "Well? You gonna join me?"

With a lust-filled groan, Yosuke hauled himself off the couch, stripping out of the rest of his clothes, stalking over to Souji with intent.

Souji grinned into the fierce kiss Yosuke initiated, stripping out of his jeans and lowering the two of them to the futon, with Yosuke beneath him. He flexed his hips, earning a moan from his responsive lover, and he moved his hands up and down Yosuke's body, fingers trailing fiery paths of delight.

He moved away a bit, grasping Yosuke's waist. "Move onto your stomach, knees beneath you." He whispered, tongue flicking across a sensitive earlobe, and Yosuke moved to obey, stifling any noise he made as Souji traced idle patterns across his skin with both his hands and oh-so-very-talented tongue.

Souji reached around to palm Yosuke's rock-hard erection, stroking lightly as he searched the cupboard beside the futon for his prize, opening the lube with one hand and coating his own hardness with the slippery stuff.

Pressing kisses along the curve of Yosuke's spine, and keeping his hand moving, Souji thoroughly prepped his lover with one, two, then three fingers before replacing them with something a little bigger.

As Yosuke moaned from the sensations of this different angle, Souji gently forced his face into the pillow, muffling the sounds. "Shh, you have to be quiet now, remember?"

Yosuke nodded into Souji's pillow, gripping it tightly as Souji began to slowly pick up the pace as he settled into a thorough rhythm, hitting that sweet spot within him with each thrust, his hand stroking his dick in perfect time.

Souji was biting his lip with the effort to keep quiet, burying his face into Yosuke's back, sweat dripping down his spine as he slowly fucked his boyfriend and lover, gently biting down on the skin right above Yosuke's right shoulder blade.

This was more passionate than last time, that first time, and despite the restriction if having to keep quiet, and both teens felt the tension building within each other, slowly bringing them closer to a shared climax.

Souji grabbed Yosuke's hand in his own, grasping tightly as he continued to thrust into that delicious, wonderful heat sheathing him, a fire burning within him as Yosuke started tensing beneath him.

"Oh, god Souji!" Yosuke groaned, arching his hips back to meet his lover's slow, methodical thrusts. "Dear god, I love you!"

Souji felt his blood quicken at those soft, passionate words spoken, and he sped up, thrusting into Yosuke harder as his reached his climax, his cock twitching as he emptied himself into the tight heat of his lover, feeling Yosuke reach his finish only a moment later, cumming all over his hand and the sheets, stifling his cry into Souji's pillow.

They lay there on his futon, panting, and Souji had to rest on his elbows so as to not crush Yosuke beneath him, pulling out as he regained some composure. He collapsed beside the brunette he cared so much for, smiling gently.

"Hey, I love you too."

Yosuke blinked at him, a soft smile making his eyes glow. "You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that, partner. You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

"Same here." Souji leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Yosuke's lips. "Don't fall asleep just yet, we need to get cleaned up, or you'll end up stuck."

"Uhg, fine." Yosuke shakily hauled himself up, wincing slightly. "If I continue being the uke in this relationship, it's gonna be your job to do the clean up, got it?"

Souji couldn't help but laugh, making sure he kept his voice down. "I think I can handle that. I'll be right back, but feel to clean yourself off with a shirt or something."

"Sure thing; I'll just borrow some of your clothes tomorrow!"

Fifteen minutes later, boys were clean, the sheets had been quickly changed, a window thrown open for some fresh air, and as Souji settled in beside Yosuke, an arm draped across the brunette's waist, he sighed contently the warm feeling in his heart.

* * *

The weekend passed rather peacefully, considering the hellhounds were still prowling about in the twilight hours, and Monday had Souji back in class with the rest of his friends.

Why the school hadn't been closed yet, Souji had no idea, but it was getting a little ridiculous. All anyone could talk about was all the weird stuff going on; even the teachers didn't really put any effort into actually teaching something anymore.

It was such a relief when the last bell rang, and Souji stood from his desk with a stretch, exposing the bottom of the holster at his waist. This morning, he had called the others; essentially ordering them to carry their new Evokers on them at all times, so as to not be caught unprepared. He knew that Chie and Yukiko were carrying their Evokers beneath their skirts, and Yosuke was following his example of having his Evoker holstered under his uniform shirt.

He was just coming down the stairs to the first floor with Yosuke beside him when Ai approached him, a smile in place. "Hi, Souji, Yosuke. You boys behaving?"

"Hey, Ai, what's up?"

"I was just going to go down to Okina Station, and I wanted to see if you wanted to join me, for old times' sake?"

"Why are you going to Okina?" Yosuke asked, and Ai flashed a thousand watt smile at him.

"Shopping, duh! I'm gonna have to stock up on the essentials before it gets too dangerous."

"Essentials?"

"Well, yeah, clothes and stuff, and I'm thinking of getting some other things, too, while I'm there. So, do you wanna come with me?"

"Sorry Ai, but I've got plans already." Souji smiled apologetically. "A friend from the city's in town, so I'm meeting him after school."

Ai nodded, turning to Yosuke. "And you're going with him, right? You two stick together like glue; it's adorable!"

"Thanks. Just be careful, okay, and don't hesitate to call me, for any reason."

"Okay, that's fine. See you two love birds later!" With a cheeky grin, Ai flipped her air as she left.

Yosuke shook his head. "She is always so... chipper."

"That's Ai for you. Come on, Akihiko should be waiting for us." Today they would be meeting with the boxer to practise with him, fighting with and against him in order to get a feel of the man's own fighting style.

Souji also hoped to use this opportunity to help Akihiko truly become a part of his team. He wanted all of his friends to work seamlessly together, and the boxer was fast becoming a friend.

Thankfully, most of the others had already accepted Akihiko to a degree, well, except for Kanji, but Souji blamed that on the way those two had met.

He had managed to get Kanji to tell him everything about that first meeting, including the embarrassing parts the bleached blonde had not wanted revealed. And Souji could admit it; it was kinda embarrassing, getting your ass handed to you like that, but Akihiko was a fully-trained and seasoned fighter.

But from that telling, Souji was able to start to piece together a profile of sorts on the older boxer, and frankly, he liked what he saw. Akihiko was definitely someone he wanted as an ally and friend, strong and experienced, solidly firm in his beliefs with a philosophy of no regrets.

How Souji knew that, he couldn't really say, but he knew that while Akihiko missed his dead friend, Souji's Wild Card predecessor, the boxer was not one to be derailed easily. And now, Souji had given the older man a kind of purpose in staying in Inaba to help them with this current world-ending disaster.

"Hey, partner, you with us?" Yosuke voice broke through his reverie, and Souji blinked, realizing that they were down by the Samagawa, relatively isolated from the view of possible passersby. Most of the others were already there; it looked like just Rise and Teddie were missing, but Souji assumed that girl was on her way with the Shadow in tow.

Yukiko was carefully cleaning her deadly fan, sitting next to Naoto who was quickly disassembling and reassembling her Black Hole, while Kanji stood away a little, doing to stretches to loosen up, shield in hand. A little further away from them was Chie, hopping and spinning around lightly on her feet, doing her own routine.

Akihiko was by the water`s edge, fists covered in the strangest pair of boxing gloves Souji had ever seen, fashioned in the shape of skulls and glinting like dull metal in the light. They also looked somewhat... organic, maybe, wrapping around his forearms.

Souji blinked and realized that Akihiko was dressed less formally than he had been before, still wearing black slacks, but the boxer was wearing a fitted t-shirt that left almost nothing to the imagination. Akihiko was ripped, visibly strong and capable with rippling muscles, only hidden by thin fabric.

Souji glanced back to where Kanji was, noticing immediately that the bleached blond was trying very hard to not look in Akihiko's direction.

Interesting.

It was then that Akihiko noticed their arrival and motioned them over, apparently wanting to speak with him.

"Hey, are you two ready for this?"

Souji nodded, removing the Blade of Totsuka from its sheath as Yosuke twirled his two weapons.

Without warning, Akihiko lunged, a fist flying for Yosuke's face, and the brunette stumbled back, just barely blocking the potentially lethal blow as Yukiko alerted the others to the impromptu battle by letting her fan fly, a deadly spinning arc of steel.

Akihiko was fast, dodging the spinning fan easily, and ducking under Souji's swordswipe. He neatly chased after Yukiko and Naoto, Souji's best distance fighters, tripping Yukiko as he simultaneously barrel rolled away from Kanji's shield.

Chie was able to keep the boxer occupied as she leapt into battle with a fierce cry, striking lightning fast with her feet, using her entire body as a weapon as she rebounded with her hands pushing from the ground, and twisting her body around to give momentum to a double round house.

Akihiko was able to block most of the force behind Chie's powerful move, but it still knocked back enough that Souji could slide in really close, trip the boxer up and once was stunned on his back, Souji placed the tip of his sword to Akihiko's throat, signalling the end of the mock-up battle.

He was actually quite proud of his friends. They had been working in close quarters with each other on the other side of the TV, fighting Shadows constantly as they had sought to make themselves stronger for Izanami.

He stepped away, offering a hand up to Akihiko, which the boxer gladly accepted. "So, what's the verdict?"

"At first glance, you all are astonishing." Akihiko was clearly impressed. "You've done well, very well. I'd still like to go against you all individually, and in small groups."

The rest of the afternoon progressed in that fashion, as Akihiko tested each of Souji's friends, and Souji himself. The results were mixed; Chie and Yosuke fared the best against Akihiko due to their speed and fighting styles. Souji and Kanji did pretty good themselves, but were more of the powerhouses of their group. Teddie, once he arrived with Rise, won against Akihiko about half of the time, due to his unpredictable and wild fighting style. Naoto and Yukiko fared the worst of them, due to their long-ranged weapons, but Naoto was usually able to hold off longer due to the hand-to-hand training she received as a detective.

Once Akihiko had assessed them all, he split them into random groups to fight against each other, and Souji was quite impressed with his friends; they were able to work together with the boxer quite nicely.

They continued to work on improving their varied skills throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening before Souji decided to call it a night so that they could all get back home before dark and the subsequent roaming of the hellhounds began.

The others were just packing up their respective gear and Souji had just slipped his jacket on when his cell phone rang, the tone ringing sharply through the air. A quick glance at the caller ID revealed Ai's number, causing him to frown slightly.

"Ai? What's up?"

Souji, thank god, I need your help!"

"Ai, where are you?"

"I was on the train coming back, and it stopped halfway, delayed for some surely stupid reason. I only just got back and I'm trapped in the station! There are Hellhounds outside, and I think they know I'm here!" She sounded on the verge of tears and frightened.

"Shit. Ai, I want you to calm down and listen to me; while there's still daylight, they won't get to you. I'm coming to get you, but I want you to do what you can to barricade the entrances." As he spoke to his friend, he motioned for the others, using a sign language they'd developed in case any of them had been put under a Mute spell, to gather their weapons. "I'm on my way. If you can, get into a room with one door, a closet or something, and barricade it as best you can. I need you to do all this before it gets too dark. You understand?"

He could hear her moving around, her steps echoing from her end of the connection. "Yeah, okay. I got it. Please hurry!"

"I will. I'll see you soon." He hung up and turned to his team, matching expressions of worry on each of their faces. "Train station, now."

As they raced through the empty streets, he briefed them on the situation, desperately hoping to arrive at the station in time to save his friend. He kept one hand on his Evoker, and the other clutched at his Izanagi tarot card, the Persona ready to be released.

As they ran, the shadows lengthened in the descending twilight, and with it, bringing out the monsters and beasts that had no natural place in the world. Blue fire and ghost lights cast an eerie pall across the town, and quite a few hellhounds snarled menacingly as they passed, but Souji ignored all that, only speeding up the pace, pulling ahead of the others, and praying that they weren't too late.

"There!" Rise's voice rang sharp through the encroaching night as they approached the darkened train station. Souji felt his blood run cold as his gaze flickered past the battered doors of the building, crowded with snarling hellhounds. He caught sight of Ai, cowering inside a ticket terminal, the small room barricaded from the inside, flinching horribly as the beasts tried get in, crashing against the bullet-proof Plexiglas.

His neck prickled, instincts screaming as Teddie's "Lookout, Sensei!" cut through the air, and he dropped to the pavement, feeling something pass overhead.

His friends scattered; Rise hanging back with Yukiko and Teddie; Naoto fled to the parking lot, drawing her gun and firing at the new aerial threat; Akihiko, Kanji and Chie fought together to keep the incoming hounds at bay; Yosuke was at his side, Malakh drawn while Souji got to his feet, pulling his Evoker from its holster as he did so.

"Goddammit! What are these things?"

They were larger than any bird he had seen or read about, with a wingspan of roughly 15 feet, a deadly hooked beak that looked like it could shred him to pieces with ease, and large serrated talons.

Actually, Souji amended his thoughts on the new threat as he and Yosuke dove out of the way of another one of the creatures, one of the biggest dangers he could see were the wing feathers, glinting in the blue light as if made of metal.

Ai's scream rang through the night, drawing Souji's attention to the terminal she sheltered in.

Spider web cracks in the Plexiglas grew bigger with each blow the hounds furiously delivered.

Just like he had the night he saved his uncle, Souji held out his tarot card, pressed the tip of the Evoker to the back of his hand and pulled the trigger.

This time there was no pain, but blood still shattered, swirling up and around in a glittering red haze, and again, he was aware of the changes in his body as he shifted into Izanagi, swinging his polearm, the blade slicing through the bodies of two bird monsters, spilling blood and gore onto the pavement.

* * *

Yosuke rolled beneath a car, evading yet another flyer, and taking the small respite to catch his breath, and glancing around from the relative safety of the car, he assessed their situation. Souji, now as Izanagi, was blocked from Ai by the large pack of hounds between them, making little headway as the girl screamed again.

Rise was practically useless here, not yet knowing how to use her Evoker to provide them with support and that was forcing Yukiko, Teddie and now Chie to both protect her and keep any more creatures from joining the battle, drawn to the scent of blood in the air. Naoto was trapped in Yasoinaba Station's parking lot, using the few cars there as cover while she fought using her Black Hole pistol. Kanji and Akihiko were now back to back, covering each other and dealing a lot of damage.

If Yosuke didn't already know better, he'd have thought the two powerhouses had always been fighting together; they complimented each other so completely and seemingly effortlessly.

As it was, none of the others were in any position to help Souji reach Ai, and sooner or later, probably sooner, that Plexiglas was going to shatter.

Sheathing his kunai, Yosuke instead drew the Evoker from its holster, removing his Susano-o card from his pocket as he did so. Steeling himself, Yosuke rolled out from beneath the car he'd taken shelter under and ran for Souji.

He was about ten feet away when sharp talons sliced through his clothes and shredding the flesh on his back to ribbons, the pressure sending him sprawling to the pavement before a bullet from Naoto killed the deadly bird attacking him.

Blood spilled from his fresh wounds as he scrambled to his feet, casting around for his Evoker, the weapon having skittered away from him when he'd hit the ground.

"Hanamura, catch!" Hearing Akihiko's voice, Yosuke whirled about, snatching the Evoker tossed his way by the boxer from midair, wasting no time in pointing the weapon to the ground, the tip digging into the back of his hand.

"Let's go, Susano-o!"

He pulled the trigger, the flash from the muzzle blinding him-

Time froze.

Yosuke blinked at the scene before him, watching for a brief second as a group of teenagers, one of them looking a lot like a slightly younger Akihiko, circled a guy on his knees, baseball cap shielding his face as he held desperately the body of a redheaded girl dressed entirely in white. Yosuke instinctively knew she was dead, and that froze his heart with fear as the guy- Junpei Iori, a voiced whispered in the recesses of his mind- made a vow and his resolve became stronger, allowing Hermes to evolve to Trismegistus.

Yosuke felt for the guy, Junpei, for losing the girl he clearly loved; he never wanted to lose Souji, but he was going to if this stupid vision or whatever wouldn't stop-

Time resumed.

Blood shattered like glass, swirling up and around him as a whirling cyclone, shielding him from view as he changed. His body grew taller, sheathed in a familiar light blue and yellow jumpsuit and thick, bulky red boots. Matching gloves covered his hands, sunglasses materialized on his face, shielding his eyes, as did the serrated metal ring twirling idly around his torso. Then he could see again and with a powerful Magarudyne, he cleared a path to Souji, joining him in the fight. He used his wind-based spells to bat away the hounds, allowing his friend and leader to reach Ai, and once there, Izanagi's polearm decimated the remaining beasts.

"Rise! Naoto! We need you here!" His voice echoed strangely, a deeper, more guttural voice super-imposed over his own, but Yosuke didn't bother with thinking too hard about it.

The battle outside dispersed and the remaining beasts and flyers (Souji was already mentally calling them Abyssals, after a flying demon in a book he'd read before) fled into the night. The others joined Souji and Yosuke inside the station, with Kanji, Chie and Akihiko taking point at the entrance while Souji and Yosuke stood off to the side, since they didn't exactly look like they normally did, and they didn't want to scare Ai any further.

Ai was crouched down under the counter of the ticket terminal, hugging her knees, and generally just trying to make herself as small a target as possible. She was trembling something fierce as Naoto and Rise approached the terminal slowly, so as not to startle her.

"Ebihara-sempai, everything's okay, you're safe now. Sempai, can you hear me?" Naoto kept her voice calm, the tone level, and Ai looked up, her honey eyes wide. "Do you think you could open the door for us?"

"You did a good job protecting yourself, sempai," Rise added from beside Naoto, smiling gently. "Souji-sempai's proud of you, and he's glad we were able to make it on time."

"Souji?" Ai had lost all of her composure during the attack, sounding small and vulnerable. "He's here? Where is he? I wanna see him!"

"You'll see him in just a minute, sempai. I need you to do us a favour and open the door. Don't worry, it's completely safe."

Eventually, Ai got out of the terminal, latching herself onto Rise as her legs failed, shaking like a leaf. With help, they were able to move to a small part of the station that wasn't destroyed or covered in blood and gore and Ai collapsed onto a bench.

"Where's Souji? I wanna see him." Ai was getting more insistent as she recovered, and as Rise looked at him in question, Souji nodded, giving her his silent permission to explain the whole situation.

It took some doing, on both Rise and Naoto's parts, but together, they were able to explain their roles in both last year's events and their current supernatural problems and how they relate to each other.

"We're telling you this so you can understand how and why we were able to fight off those creatures." Naoto said calmly.

"So, what, you guys have some kind of super powers or something?" She asked, and after a moment's hesitation, Rise nodded.

"I'd say 'or something' is right." Souji stepped forward slowly so as not to startle his friend with his appearance. His voice echoed like Yosuke's had, deep and resonant.

"Souji? Is that really you?"

He nodded, dropping to one knee to be on a more level setting. "Yes, this is the form of my inner self. In this form, I am called Izanagi."

"After the god? It suits you." She seemed unsure, fidgety, but that seemed to stem from her recent ordeal, and Souji thought that maybe the evening's events were beginning to overwhelm her. "Do you know why I was attacked like that? It didn't seem random, like the other attacks we've heard of."

"I believe you were targeted." Gasps sounded from the girls around him, and Yosuke's posture stiffened. "I'm working on a theory, and your assault is more evidence to proving it. I believe that you were attacked because of your connection to me."

"Sempai, what are you saying?" Naoto asked, but Souji shook his head.

"Not now. I can explain it to the rest of you in the morning, but for now, we have other priorities."

"Souji," Ai's hesitance drew his attention back to her, and he realized that he needed to get her home to safety. "Does this have anything to do with why I was targeted?"

She held her left hand out to him; palm up to reveal her wrist. Etched in black was the crescent moon of the Moon Arcana, the Social Link that connected Ai to him and he frowned behind his mask.

"When did you notice this?"

"I'm not completely sure, but it wasn't there when I out shopping earlier, before the train back got delayed." Ai shrugged. "I don't know, but it started to itch right before I called you."

Souji nodded, silently wondering why the Arcanas were involved. "Yeah. This marks you as a target. I'll explain it to you tomorrow, but first we need to get you home safely."

"You better, or... or I'll get Daisuke to kick your ass!" Despite her tough words, Ai was scared and exhausted. The night had simply been too much.

"I promise. Let's get you home."

Naoto and Rise kept Ai between as Souji and Yosuke led them from the gored covered train station, flanked by the others protectively. It didn't take them long to reach Ai's home, and she was safely inside, Souji and Yosuke escorted each of their friends home until it was just the two of them standing outside the Dojima home, still in their Persona appearance.

The illusion cracked and the Personas faded away in a shower of drifting bits of shattered glass, fluttering into nothing, and Souji reached for Yosuke's hand, grasping tightly as he led the brunette into his home and up to his room.

This was becoming a habit. Much longer and Souji should just ask Yosuke to move in with him. But he dismissed that thought as the two of them prepared for bed, suddenly weary from the violence of the night's events.

Souji turned out the light, sending the room into darkness he was familiar with, joining Yosuke in bed, wrapping his arms around the other teen and burying his face into his neck.

"There's something I need to tell you all, something I didn't know was important until tonight. It's something I've lived with, defined my life with, for more than a year now." The words, softly spoken and barely whispered, tumbled from his lips.

It was a while before Yosuke spoke. Souji almost thought he'd fallen asleep.

"It's about that tattoo."

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

The silence became stretched out again, a little longer this time.

"Why keep something so important quiet?"

Souji sighed, long and deep. He knew that the conversation that would take place tomorrow would change things for him, but honestly, it couldn't be helped. He only hoped that the changes the revelation of his Social Links wrought would be changes that he could deal with, that wouldn't destroy him.

"I don't think anyone would have believed me if I had told you about it when it started. Even with everything we've dealt with in the last year." He tightened his grip on Yosuke, almost afraid for a reason he couldn't quite define.

"I want you to know, though, that the choices I've made have been real, I've not once been influenced by anything."

Yosuke stiffened in his arms, frozen in place. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll understand once I've explained it tomorrow. But know this: I love you. I love you with everything that makes up my entire being, and that will never change."

"This better be a damned good explanation, Souji, you're scaring me."

He nuzzled Yosuke's neck, moving one hand to intertwine with one of the brunette's. "I'm sorry. You'll understand everything, I promise."

"I hope so. Goodnight, Souji."

"Good night. Love you."

It was a long time before either of them succumbed to slumber, but he was relieved when Yosuke kept holding his hand even as he fell into a troubled sleep.

He was relieved because it gave him hope that everything wasn't about to become even more fucked up.

They didn't bother going to school in the morning. Yosuke was still passed out in deep sleep as Souji hauled himself out of bed to get started on breakfast for Nanako, to make sure her day started without a hitch, but damn, he was exhausted. Dojima also made an appearance for breakfast, but he didn't say anything when Souji informed him that he would be skipping all his classes for the day.

After Nanako had been sent off to school, the Hermit Fox and her kits fed and watered, and Dojima settled on the couch with the morning paper, crutches nearby just in case, Souji trudged his way back upstairs to his room, where he immediately grabbed his cell phone and sent off a text message to the others, asking them to ditch class and come over to Dojima's for his explanation. He'd be ready for them in about an hour.

Finished with that and ready for the day, he sat down on the couch and wondered how the hell he was going to explain his Social Links and the power he gained from them to the others. All in all, he would sound like a dick, like he was using them for the power and the Personas they granted him, and while that was an added bonus, because he truly treasured the deep connections he formed with each of his friends, he doubted that they'd see that at first.

Unfortunately, the worst ideas were assumed first. He knew that.

They found him like that, still on the couch lost in thought, the mood rather dark. It wasn't until they had all settled, with Dojima joining them beside Souji, and Yosuke laying a hand on Souji's shoulder that he realized they were there.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. This was it.

"I'll be honest with you; none of you will like what I have to say, but now I need to explain a few things. Last night, when Ai was attacked, she had a mark on her wrist, a tattoo of sorts. That mark tells us that she was attacked because of her connection, her Social Link to me. This Social Link, of the Moon Arcana is what gives me the power to summon the Persona Sandalphon. I have many Social Links, and nurturing them has given me strength and the capability to summon more Personas as I grow stronger.

"I share a Social Link with each of you. Nurturing the relationships I share with all of you, while precious to me, give me power."

He sighed, refusing to look at his friends as he explained. Until he said everything, he didn't think he would be able to.

"The reason I have these Social Links is because of my multiple Persona ability. I'm known as a Wild Card of the Fool Arcanum with none and infinite possibility, and each of you belong to a specific Arcanum."

"Essentially, I've cultivated the relationships I have partially to gain the power to summon my stronger Personas."

"I think I know where you're going with this, Sempai," Kanji interrupted gently. "You're worried that we'll just think that you've used us for your personal gain, but Sempai, you've helped us. Looking back, you weren't influencing me. You were more the voice of common sense that I would've ignored otherwise."

"I think you were like that for all of us, actually." Chie said, smiling. "You made us stronger, silly, by being a friend. These Social links are just a physical form of that friendship."

"Souji, I love you, but you're an idiot." Yosuke broke in, grinning at him, uncaring for their audience. "I know what you're thinking, that people will always assume the bad stuff first, and you were scared, I get that. We're different, though. All because you have all of us better people."

Souji looked away from them, dropping his gaze to the Izanagi tarot card in his fingers. He felt ashamed at his apparent lack of faith in people closest to his heart.

"Thank you for telling us. And I must thank you as well for including me, a relative stranger." Akihiko's comment surprised him, but he was relieved anyway.

"You're a part of our team now. How could I not include you?" Souji shrugged. "Also, since my predecessor was also a Wild Card, he would have needed Social Links. I'm sure he had to make a lot of difficult choices, but in the end, you probably gave him strength."

Akihiko nodded. "I miss him even more now. But I know he's always going to be protecting us, just like you have with your team, your friends."

"I think the conversation's a bit off track," Dojima interrupted, drawing everyone's attention to him. "You said that the girl who was attacked last night and I were two of your Social Links, and we were attacked because of those Links. How many more of them are there?"

Right. This was the whole point of this. "Everyone in this room, except for Akihiko, is a Social Link. Kou and Daisuke, my sports team friends, along with Yumi and Ayane from the culture clubs are the remainder Links from school. Sayoko, the nurse from the hospital; Eri from the daycare; Shu from tutoring; Nanako; Naoki Konishi, Saki's brother; Hisano, an old woman I met at the hospital; the Hermit Fox living under our porch; and a woman named Margaret."

Silence reigned for several eternity-long minutes.

"Then all we have to do is make to be there, ready to save them when the time comes." Rise was confident, smiling at them gently. Souji was grateful for that.

"How much time do we have?" Akihiko's question startled him, but really, it shouldn't have. The older man was incredible smart.

"What do you mean?"

"There's always some kind of time limit to these things. How much time do we have left before the end of the world?"

"Oh, right. Um, we have less than a year left. At the current rate of supernatural happenings, I'd say a few months, December probably."

"Then I guess we better think of something, and fast."

"Yeah. I know."

"Senpai, we can do this." Naoto smiled at him, resting a hand on his knee in support. "We defeated both Ameno-Sagiri and Izanami. We can do this."

"Thanks Naoto. That actually makes me feel better."

"Glad to be of service, Senpai."

"Alright, now that we have that settled, I'm afraid I've gotta kick you all out now." Dojima didn't really sound apologetic, but then again, he never did. "Yosuke, you might as well stay; you practically live here anyway."

Neither Souji nor Yosuke had anticipated that, so Dojima's truthful statement had both of them go red in the face as the news of their unofficial living arrangements was made public, even if only to their friends.

"You've been staying here?" Yukiko asked quietly. "What about your parents? Aren't they worried or anything?"

"Ah, you guys know my folks; they don't really care one way or another, too focused on their own lives. Besides, they never noticed when Teddie was staying with me last year." Yosuke shrugged, dismissing the issue.

"That's true." Chie didn't sound exactly happy, but it was no secret that Yosuke barely rated in his parents' world, and she didn't like that.

"It's okay, I'm better here anyway. I can be of more use here."

Thankfully, Chie and Yukiko let the matter drop, and the others were perceptive enough to leave it alone as well. While Souji himself was not entirely thrilled by the lack of regard from Yosuke's parents, it was Yosuke's decision he felt, if his lover wanted to make it an issue.

The others left then, meeting Nanako on her way inside coming home from school, and promising the girl that they'd all be back to play with her soon before leaving the Dojima household in relative peace.

Souji had Yosuke help Dojima with Nanako and dinner, so he could escape to the quiet of his room, needing to make a phone call to Ai. He needed to explain to her the circumstances of the previous night, she deserved no less, but he didn't feel terribly comfortable making that call in public.

The actual phone call didn't take long, as Ai seemed to accept his explanation pretty well. He couldn't be sure until he actually saw her again, but she seemed like she wasn't going to suffer from the trauma of the night before, for which Souji was glad.

Ai proved to be the good friend she was, knowing of Souji's need to be forgiven of his sins of endangering her, although she had been adamant that it wasn't his fault. She didn't blame him for anything, and it relieved the tension on SOuji's soul knowing his friend didn't hate him.

By the time he went to bed, Yosuke at his side, Souji felt much lighter, and despite the awareness that time may be running out for their world, he felt that he might actually succeed in saving the world, and before he drifted off into the comforting depths of slumber with Yosuke's arms around him, Souji vowed to accept whatever the future held for him, and to face the consequences, good and bad, of his actions and choices.

He would do anything to keep his world safe, to protect the people he loved. He refused to stand by helplessly when he knew that he could make a difference.

No price was too high, no consequence too much. He would bear whatever burden with honour.

With that vow firmly in his mind, Souji barely noticed something tickling his subconscious, a feather-light whisper just below his auditory range, words lost in the inky black of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

A/N: I must apologize for the time this chapter took. I'm going to try and take less time to get the next couple of chapters out.


	9. Chapter 9

PERSONA 4 EVERSION

DISCLAIMER: I ONLY LAY CLAIM TO THE PLOT.

* * *

A.N.: So almost a year since I updated. I am sooo sorry! It was kinda rough going in different parts, and the chapter didn't to end well, so I hope this will do. I'll try my best to be more prompt.

Also, I don't think I've ever thanked my readers and reviewers, which I think is actually kinda bad, so here's a shoutout to everyone who's read this fic, and any of my others, and a huge thank you for putting up with my lack of any kind of frequent updates! Thank you, everyone.

* * *

CHAPTER 9

Two weeks had passed since that bloody night saving Ai, and since then, the violence and destruction had only gotten worse. The whole town of Inaba looked like a ravaged war zone, with cracked and crumbled streets and destroyed homes; rubble strewn about everywhere; rusted, torn up cars. Even the ghost lights were starting to get violent, hurting people, even possessing them.

Almost all the power lines were down, if not broken like snapped twigs, leaving the town mostly without electricity, and many were trying to make do with portable generators bought from either Junes, or from neighbouring towns.

Souji didn't understand why people didn't just pack up and leave.

The hellhounds were aided in their terrorizing of the clueless populace by the Abyssals, the fierce fliers with their metallic feathers that shredded through anything. A lot of people had been admitted to the hospital for ugly gashes and lacerations, gruesome bites from the beasts, and broken limbs, and a lot more were left as mangled corpses, chests torn open and pieces missing. But even with all the glaring evidence of the supernatural running rampant, people still walked about their daily lives, pretending like nothing was wrong with their world, ridiculously deep in denial, despite the rising tension levels in town, and it was starting to frustrate Souji.

Then again, he had never been one to tolerate willful ignorance.

Dojima was back on his feet, with only occasional twinges in his leg from his injury, and he kept Nanako home from school, keeping her occupied during the days with the Hermit Fox and her cubs. Since the revelation of his Social Link with Souji, he had, in not so many words, declared his home as a kind of headquarters, for the several meetings that Souji was holding to keep track of the escalation of the violence. It was also Dojima who stumbled across the fact that salt seemed to keep the wandering spirits away from the house.

Souji and Yosuke ended up patrolling during the evenings, long after the torn up streets had been abandoned for the relative safety for home. Often, they would shift into their Personas, using the superior forms to keep the hounds and Abyssals at bay, cutting through swathes of beasts on the Samagawa, and in the more populated areas of the shopping district.

For whatever reason, none of the schools in town had officially shut down yet, despite a greatly decreasing attendance record as most of the students were staying close to home where it was somewhat safer.

Not that Souji or anyone he knew bothered going to school any more, since it was basically just a waste of time now.

Another statue had been found as well, this time less than a block away from the police station, frustrating the officers and detectives on duty that night, as they had not heard anything. It hadn't lasted a day before being broken by the angry spirits manifesting in town.

The blood seeping out of the TVs was no longer restricted to the nights of the new and full moons anymore, but rather it happened at random, leaving behind a permanent stain behind by the time the sun rose in the dawn hours. Souji grew to admire Nanako even more, ever since he had caught her trying to clean up the stains before everyone else was up in the mornings.

Since he knew his cousin wouldn't just stop trying to get rid of the stains, he managed to dig up some recipes for stain removal for her to go over. It also gave her something to focus on, instead of being frightened by everything that was threatening her family. She wasn't stupid and Souji knew it.

Another thing that Souji and the others began noticing were the deep gouges appearing in the ground around the perimeter of the town, not yet deep enough to cut through the concrete, but there were more gouges every day, slowly widening into a trench with the potential of cutting off the town.

He really didn't want to think of the panic and chaos that would cause.

Hopefully, it wouldn't happen. Yosuke called him overly optimistic, and he was right, but really, Souji more hoped that it wouldn't happen any time soon.

It was in the afternoon close to the end of July, the 24th to be accurate, that Souji came across someone he hadn't expected to be outside in the less than safe environment. Shu Nakajima was walking down the Samagawa, baseball bat in hand, and he didn't seem to notice Souji walking towards him until the smart kid he had tutored almost walked into him.

"Oh! Souji-Senpai! I-I didn't see you! I'm sorry." Shu blushed a little, embarrassed by his lack of attention. Souji could only smile.

"That's alright, I understand. What are you doing out here? Being careful?"

"Yeah, I just got really bored today, so I went out to the field to practice my game."

"Oh, how is that going for you?"

"I'm getting better all the time. Senpai, I thought you were going back to the city?" The question was innocent, Souji knew this, but he couldn't help it as his smile turned a little bitter.

"I did go back, yeah, but my parents had an accident, so I'm living here with my uncle now."

"I'm sorry, Senpai. That was rude of me."

Souji shook his head. "No, it's alright. There's no way you could have known. Now Shu, can I ask you to do something for me?"

The kid shrugged, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Um sure, yeah. What did you need?"

"You're a very smart kid, so I'm sure you've been noticing all the freaky stuff happening lately. I've been working on trying to stop it from getting worse, but I need your help with that. I want you to call me if anything really strange or scary happens."

Souji noticed that Shu's demeanour instantly turned more hesitant, but that could just as easily be from the tone of the conversation as from anything else, so Souji didn't press.

"Anything? Like what?"

"Strange sights and noises, or things appearing mysteriously out of nowhere that you have no explanation for. You'll know when you find something. I also want you to call me right away if you get attacked. I will come if you call, I promise." Souji had to save himself from saying 'when' instead of 'if'.

He knew Shu would be attacked, just like Dojima had been, and Ai two weeks ago.

Shu nodded fervently, and Souji let him go home, warning the kid once again to be careful and to not hesitate to call him. Shu agreed again and left Souji alone on the flood plane.

He stared after the kid until he was gone from his line of sight before leaving the plane himself, ever watchful of the predators sulking about the shadows.

It was only a day later when the call came. Souji was home cooking dinner with Nanako while Yosuke and Dojima lounged in the living room when his phone started buzzing from its current place on the table. He wiped his hands clean, moving into the living room as he flipped the phone open, bringing it to his ear. It hadn't even reached his ear before he recognized the terrified voice on the other end.

"Help! Senpai, please help me!"

"Shu? I need you to calm down and tell me where you are!"

"The library! I lost track of time and now I can't get out! The place is surrounded and I'm trapped and you said to call if I needed to and Sensei, I need you to help me!"

"Shu! Shu, I hear you! I'm here; I need you to calm down for me, can you do that?" He waited only a moment, waving his hand at Yosuke, silently demanding the brunet's phone. "Find a room, no windows if you can, and hide there. I'm sending help; a friend is closer to you than I am but I am on my way. Do you understand?"

He worked Yosuke's phone, sending a text to Kanji and Rise, since they were closest to the Inaba library, being merely a couple of blocks away. As he hit 'send', he was already halfway out the front door, pausing only long enough to grab his sword and the Evoker that sat on a low table by the door. Yosuke hurried after him, arming himself similarly with a quick goodbye to Nanako and a promise to be careful.

"Y-yeah, I understand." Shu sounded absolutely terrified, and Souji couldn't blame him. "Please hurry!"

His student hung up before he could say another word, but that didn't bother him. Instead, he focused on getting into town as quickly as possible, before it was too late.

Yosuke kept pace with him as they ran through the streets, transforming into their Personas in a now-familiar shower of glittering shattered glass. "Who is it?"

"Shu Nakajima, a very smart kid I tutored last year. He's my Tower." Already, he was getting used to the way their voices resonated with a double echo, and the ease of movement. It hadn't been hard to adapt to the transformation at all, and it made him wonder what it meant.

"Who did you send after him?"

At this, Souji smirked. He had to keep some secrets as a surprise. "You'll see."

* * *

He stared at his phone, glaring unblinking at the simple message on the tiny screen for a moment. "Ah, fuck it. Gotta do it sometime."

The Tarot card from his senpai was in his back pocket, and the Evoker that little shit Sanada had given them was shoved into the back of his jeans and he grabbed his weapon from its place near the door as he rushed out.

"Ma, stay inside! I'll be back later!" His mother knew to listen to him about the danger, thankfully, and there was Rise just up ahead, clutching her Evoker like a lifeline. Right, she was support only.

"Kanji! Come on, we have to hurry!"

He caught up to her and took the lead, cautiously navigating the seemingly empty streets. "I don't like this. Too quiet."

Rise nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. I hope I can help you."

Kanji smiled at the smaller girl as they jogged around the debris. "Hell yeah, nothin' you can't do when you put your mind to it."

"Thanks, Kanji. Look, there's the library!" They ducked down behind a shredded car, stunned at the swarm of beasts and monsters surrounding the building. Abyssals casually flew overhead, and Hell hounds were scattered at the outer edges, keeping their distance from the hoard of massive bulls.

He'd never seen anything like it, not even in the apocalyptic RPGs he was secretly fond of. This new creature was massive, easily three meters tall, with huge horns like a pitchfork. Spiky scales covered its spine, fading into thick leathery skin, and each stomp of those iron hooves cracked the already broken concrete. Green fire floated between the deadly points, and in the dim, sickly light, Kanji was sure that those eyes sockets, on every single beast, was empty, a gaping and bleeding hole.

He had no idea how many of the demons were there, but he knew it wouldn't be long before the library collapsed under the pressure of those things constantly charging it.

"There's not much time," Rise whispered, as though the smallest sound would draw attention to them.

"I know. They better get here soon."

No sooner had he spoken that the Hell hounds began to snarl in their direction, and a few of the bull monsters turned away from the library. One of them snorted, pawing the ground with that massive hoof and Kanji felt all the blood rush from his face.

"Oh SHIT-!"

It charged, green fire trailing behind and Rise screamed as Kanji dropped his shield, pulling out his Persona Card and the Evoker, gun tip digging into his fingers where he held onto the card.

Eyes clenched shut, he pulled the trigger-

Time froze.

He blinked. This was new. He didn't know this street, it certainly wasn't anywhere in Inaba. The street kind of reminded him of... what was that place? Port Island, where they'd gone on their school trip last year, but why would he be here?

The lighting was strange, sickly from the ghastly full moon hanging high above him. But that wasn't right; the next full moon wasn't for another week, at least!

He had no idea why there were a few scattered coffins standing around, or the pools of blood that was _everywhere_, but he knew it wasn't good. It seriously creeped him out.

"You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge!"

What? What the hell was that punk doing here?

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me..." Kanji whirled about just in time to see a younger Akihiko Sanada turn the corner at the end of the block, hands donned in boxing gloves, clutching at his arm as he ran.

"I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there." He sounded exhausted, and Kanji could see the blood beneath the glove, staining his otherwise pristine white shirt. Akihiko ran into the building in front of him, slamming the door just as Kanji slipped through. The boxer slumped down against the door as three other people ran towards the fallen boxer.

This Akihiko was so different from the one Kanji barely knew. This one was just a kid still.

Akihiko waved off the others' concern, grimacing from the pain of his wound. "I'm alright. Get ready to be surprised... it'll be here any second."

The dorm, for that's what it had to be, shook, rattled on its foundations by whatever was attacking, and the cold-looking redhead calmly informed Akihiko that he still had to fight.

The glare the boxer flashed was stunning. Kanji was able to see the fire he instinctively knew resided in Akihiko flare as boldly as his defiance, fierce and formidable despite his weakened state and the blood dripping down his arm.

"Like I had a choice."

It hit him hard, the realization. Kanji realized, in that moment, that Akihiko Sanada had struggled long and hard, through pain and insecurities, just like he did, to be strong enough to protect those around him. People depended on him, and right now, there was a kid depending on him to be strong enough to fight, to protect this world, and _goddamnit_ but no monsters were gonna get in his way now!

The Evoker sounded like a cannon going off, deafening in the sudden silence, the blood shattering with a delicate sound, rising up to consume him. It surrounded him, and he could feel it hardening on his skin and clothes, forming into the bulky armoured plates that covered Rokuten Maoh. He grew in height, suddenly seeing the world around him from a lot higher, the weight of his helmet comfortable on his head.

The cocoon of glittering blood exploded away from Kanji as he swung his sword, the enormous fiery blade locking with the bull monster's horns, sliding back only a little as he stopped the angry charge. Pushing hard, Kanji threw the beast back, following up with a quick slash that cut right through the monster, blood splashing obscenely on the broken pavement.

"Enough with this shit," his voice had that double echo he remembered hearing from Souji or Yosuke in their Persona forms, but his was deeper, just barely perceptible. "Thunder Reign."

Great bolts of searing white lightning rained down from the sky, charring hellhounds to cinders and leaving destruction in its wake. In the newly formed chaos, Kanji leapt with his sword swinging, slicing through the beasts around him, making his way towards the library doors.

"Rise! Where's the kid? Can you find him?" He batted away another bull, stepping on an unfortunate hellhound. He mentally cringed at the sticky, prickly feeling of gore beneath his foot. This was going to give him nightmares.

* * *

Rise watched from behind her pitiful shelter, peeking around the decimated car to watch as Kanji flattened a whole bunch of the monsters. She ducked back just in time to avoid getting drenched with blood flung from Kanji's sword.

The guy could try to be a little more considerate. Blood was such a pain to wash out of clothes.

She hoped that Souji and Yosuke got there soon, because she was about useless right now, and there were too many monsters for even Rokuten Maoh's impressive strength. She knew she had to try, but Kanzeon was a long range support base more than anything. She really didn't know how she was going to help, even if she could transform.

Kanji's shout brought her out of her daydream, seriously, what was she thinking? And it hit her, Kanzeon worked like a satellite, searching over distance for the objective; in this case, Shu Nakajima. She would be able to find him inside the library, and direct Kanji to the kid.

She stared for a long moment at the Evoker in her hand. Could she do it? She didn't have a choice.

Rise held her Kanzeon Tarot card over her heart, closing her eyes as she placed the tip of the gun against the back of her hand, pulling the trigger before she could chicken out.

The Evoker went off, loud in her ears –

She opened her eyes, shrinking back at the sight before her. She was in a strange, kind of abstract room, a set of stairs leading to a door in midair, surrounded by people. She briefly recognized a younger Akihiko Sanada facing off against two monsters, no, these were Shadows when a girl her age walked into the middle of the standoff, dazed. A blue haired girl ran to her, pleading for her to run before turning to the Shadows and raising an Evoker.

"Wait! That's not a weapon!" Akihiko sounded so much younger, it was kinda strange.

_"I know..!"_ The girl's, Fuuka's voice echoed in Rise's head just as the Shadows attacked.

The Persona that appeared, sheltering Fuuka inside itself was stunning, gorgeous, and it repelled the Shadows easily, and Rise watched as Fuuka guided her team to a stunning victory, much like Rise did with Kanzeon.

"Yamagashi, can you assist the others?"

_"I'll do my best!"_

That's what Rise had to do; she had to do the best she could to help her friends, to help Souji win this supernatural war. There was no other option, nothing than to just suck it up and fight with all her power.

Time resumed and Rise doubled over at the sensation of Kanzeon enveloping her in a glittering mass of blood-stained glass, transforming her into the being she could only be truly comfortable with as the antenna array materialized above and behind her. The surge of information was astounding, but she understood it all with ease, taking the information in her head and sorting it like she would with files on her laptop. It happened instantly, reacting with her subconscious.

She cast tetrakarn, protecting herself from the demons around her as Kanji went deeper into the crumbling building searching for Shu. Then she cast her senses out, past the monsters, past Kanji, and she found him, huddling down in a small conference room near the center of the library in the middle of the stacks.

_'I see him. He's in the small room off the checkout desk. Hurry Kanji!'_

As she had no mouth as Kanzeon, Rise spoke telepathically, and it startled her to hear her own voice inside her head and tinny as though coming through a speaker. She paid it no mind as a few monsters crashed into her tetrakarn shield, forcing her to recast it before it broke.

She cast her senses further, and heaved a mental sigh of relief as her scanners picked up Souji and Yosuke's life signs coming in fast.

* * *

Kanji barely flinched as Rise's voice echoed electronically in his head, instead focusing his attention on bashing another bull through the wall. He knew the room she mentioned; he was almost right on top of it. All he had to do now was defend it until Souji and Yosuke arrived, which he hoped was soon, because as strong as he was as Rokuten Maoh, it wouldn't last forever.

The library building was a mess, broken books scattered amongst the rubble he was creating, which was a shame, but not really important at the moment. "Primal Force!" A downward strike spilled blood and gore everywhere, destroying another monster. Damn things needed a name, just to keep 'em straight!

"Rise! Need a little help here!" It was all he could to hold them as the building fell apart around him, very few rooms left intact including the one behind him and Kanji sighed in relief as he felt the tingle of Tetrakarn being cast around the kid. "What's their ETA?"

_'They're almost here, just a few minutes longer.'_

He could handle that; he was Rokuten Maoh, after all. A powerhouse, built to endure and while his magic wasn't the strongest, his physical strength was. Besides, he had to beat this because he was long overdue for an actual conversation with the Sanada punk. He wanted to know the man that kid had grown into.

While he was at it, might as well admit (at least to himself) to the attraction he had for the guy.

"Come on, you bastards! I'll show you why you don't wanna mess with me!" Secure with the knowledge of Rise's shield around the kid, Kanji threw himself into the hoard of monsters with a warcry, sword swinging and stained red with blood.

* * *

Inside his room at the Amagi Inn, as he changed into casual sleepwear of sweats and a t-shirt, Akihiko shivered a chill running down his spine as his eyes darted around the room. Everything was normal, though; nothing was out of place. He frowned, only mildly worried but he dismissed it from his mind. If there was truly something to worry about, he'd know about it, or he'd be finding out pretty damn quick.

Maybe he should call Mitsuru. She was probably chomping at the bit for his next call anyway; it had been a few days since his last update.

And maybe, just maybe, she could help him figure out why he kept thinking about the Tatsumi kid. He had an idea, but didn't want to admit to it just yet.

She picked up on the first ring. "You're late."

"It's been busy here. Can't really help it."

"Things are escalating, I take it?" He'd been keeping her apprised of all the strange happenings in town, from the nightmarish moon he was familiar with to the blood-stained TVs to the patrols he and the others in Souji's team had taken up. Mitsuru approved of his involvement with these kids, these ridiculously strong kids, and had implied that Akihiko seemed more and more... content.

Like how he had been as a member of S.E.E.S under Minato's leadership.

He found that she was right and also that it no longer hurt to think of Minato and his sacrifice.

"Yeah, I'd say things are escalating. Like something out of Junpei's video games."

"Did you want me to call the others? It's something I have been contemplating and I know Yamagishi would come with me. Iori, too, and Ken is always happy to see you."

Akihiko shook his head, despite the gesture being useless on the phone. "No, they have their lives ahead of them, and they should be free to live them. You as well. Besides, this is Souji's fight and his friends will follow him anywhere."

"And what about you, Akihiko? You fought just as hard as the rest of us for the chance of peace, for your own life. You deserve to live your life as well."

"But Mitsuru, I am living it. I've always been a fighter, you know this. But I think maybe I'm happy here, fighting beside these kids. They're incredible, have I told you?" He relaxed against the windowsill, staring out into the night. "I don't think we were ever as good as they are."

Mitsuru's laughter could almost be called a giggle, were it anyone else. "You've mentioned it on several occasions, and now you're a part of this magnificent team."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"But you didn't call just to reminisce. Something has been... well, not bothering you, but you do have something weighing on your mind."

Akihiko chuckled, not surprised that Mitsuru could pick up on that. "You're right, as always. Like I said, these kids are incredible; Souji's leadership is powerful, almost effortless; Yosuke's loyalty is on par with Aigis, and I feel... jealous watching them together. Yukiko's like a rock, a shelter in the storm, while Chie's all heart. Rise's like Fuuka, surprisingly down to earth for an idol, and Naoto's spirit reminds me of you, actually. Kanji is the team's strength."

Mitsuru was silent for a long time, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Akihiko didn't mind at all; it gave him time to reflect on his time here in Inaba and his interactions with Souji and his friends. He still felt like an outsider, and rightly so, but there was a feeling of warm acceptance with he was with them, though slow with the Tatsumi punk but still there, and for that he was relieved.

"Sounds like you have a crush on him, Aki."

He blinked, surprised at both the familiar nickname and at Mitsuru's statement. "Where'd you pull that from? I don't have a crush on Tatsumi!"

He knew he should have kept his mouth shut right then; he could hear the smirk on Mitsuru's lips.

"Did I say your crush was on Tatsumi? But thank you for telling me anyway, although I had guessed from your tone when you speak of him. What draws you to him? From your observations, he sounds rash, reckless, foolhardy, and in general, a punk."

Akihiko laughed, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "He antagonizes me. He's irreverent, has no respect for anyone other than his friends and... he stirs up the fight in me. I want to take him on, to fight him one on one for the sake of the fight. He draws out my own strength, and he's strong himself. God, you should see him in action with that shield of his."

Mitsuru was once again silent, analyzing his words and the emotions fuelling them. To her, it sounded like Akihiko had finally found what he'd been searching for since Minato's death and the revelations behind the Abyss of Time.

She refused to allow him to waste this perfect opportunity.

"It sounds like more than just a crush."

She was right. With a sigh, Akihiko rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. "Yeah, you're right. Like usual."

"Go after it, Akihiko. Go after him. Get to know this kid first, be his friend first. I think you'll truly be happy and that's all I've ever wanted for you." She paused for emphasis. "I can tell you it's not going to be easy, but you never back down from a challenge. If you fail to take the initiative on this, I'll have to visit and execute you myself."

The order (and threat) was implicit and Akihiko had to beat down the sudden onset of nausea as nervousness roiled in his gut. He knew she would do it, without a doubt. The girl was... intense.

"Yeah, I got it. No need for threats."

Again, he could hear the smirk, could visualize it perfectly. "It wasn't a threat."

Very, very true. More of a promise.

"Ok, moving on. Inaba's a disaster, and the people are just as oblivious as with The Fall. I'm not too sure how much longer there'll be cell reception, with the state of deterioration here. If I don't check in, don't panic right away. I somehow get the feeling that you'll be able to know what's happening here anyway."

"I understand. I wish you luck, Akihiko. Do what you feel is right."

"I will. And... thank you, Mitsuru."

He knew she would understand what he meant.

The phone call finished shortly after and after Akihiko set his cell down on the table by the door, turning off the lights as he passed, he returned to his spot by the window, at ease in the dark. It was perfect for his wandering mind. He stared out into the night, taking in the stillness; he couldn't even hear the hellhounds that usually prowled at night.

He couldn't even try faking being optimistic and hoping it was a good sign. Something was happening tonight, but Souji must have it under control. The silver haired Persona User was always in the thick of things; then again, with his Social Links being targets, he was bound to be.

With his newfound knowledge of the Social Links and the ability to wield multiple Personas, Akihiko was certain that Minato had also forged Links, undoubtedly different from Souji's due to the different people in their lives. The Ebihara girl had been the Moon, and Detective Dojima was the Heirophant, meaning these Social Links followed the Arcana that had controlled the Shadows of the Dark Hour. He wasn't completely certain, not without asking Souji directly, but he did wonder who filled the other roles in the Arcana.

Minato had once called him the Emperor. Who was Souji's Emperor? He wondered if Kanji was the Emperor, it would suit.

God, how in the hell had he fallen for the kid? Hell if he knew, he'd figure it out later.

Maybe he should stop calling Kanji, or any of them, kids. They weren't really kids after all they've done, such as fighting, and defeating, Gods.

Hell, how old was Kanji? Akihiko would be 21 in September, and he wasn't even sure if Kanji was even _legal_. What did that say about_ him_?

Suddenly disgusted with himself, Akihiko turned away from the window and crawled into bed. He did send a quick text to Mitsuru, informing her that she was encouraging a relationship (if possible) with a minor. She sent a fast reply telling him to do things properly or there would be an execution in his future.

Awesome.

* * *

"Pralaya!"

Souji didn't hesitate; at the first sight of the monsters surrounding the remnants of the library, he swung his polearm, watching gleefully as the few hellhounds were eviscerated, Abbysals fell from the sky mangled and a few of the bulls simply fell to pieces in the ruins of the street. Yosuke followed his attack with a Panta Rhei, the massive cyclone decimating the rest of their enemies.

"Rise! Kanji!"

_'Here, Senpai, I'm fine. Rokuten Maoh's inside with Shu.'_ He repressed his flinch at Rise's voice inside his head, seeing the girl-turned-Persona; it was kind of startling. She dropped her tetrakarn spell and glided over to them, the disks of her antenna flashing periodically.

"Thank you." Yosuke stayed with her as Souji made his way through the wreckage, spotting Kanji's distinctive red and black armour easily, even in the dark of the night. Only the small room Shu had taken shelter in was relatively intact and Kanji stood in front of it, sword drawn and surrounded by mangled corpses. The stench of fresh blood was thick and heavy in the air.

Souji dropped his Persona appearance, skirting around the large pools of blood and gore until he was in front of the door, standing next to Rokuten Maoh's leg. He absently noted that as a human, he only reached the Person's knee in height.

He knocked lightly on the cracked door to announce his presence to the boy inside. "Shu, it's me Souji. I'm here, like I said I'd be. Wanna let me in?"

He waited patiently, and after a few long minutes, he heard movement and the lock being disengaged. The battered door flew open and Souji barely managed to keep his balance as the kid lunged for him, throwing his arms around Souji's waist in a crushing grip, sobbing his little heart out. It tore at Souji to hear him, voice shrill with stark terror.

"Shu, it's ok. You're safe now, I'm here." He wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders as a comforting gesture. "You're safe."

"I did what you said, but - so _scared_!" Almost every other word was punctuated with a gasping sob. "I was so scared! I could hear things... thought – I thought I was gonna die!"

"I know, but you did very good. I'm so proud of you, Shu. You were so very brave, and everything's going to be fine, I promise." He kept his words soft, soothing, like he did with Nanako when she was upset. He kept up a litany of calming reassurances as Shu slowly calmed himself down, guiding the boy around the blood and away from the mess, being careful to keep Shu's eyes covered. He really didn't want the kid to see the devastation.

Once outside, Souji guided the group away from the library ruins, just around the block and out of sight. He got Shu to sit on the curb, taking a seat right beside the kid with an arm wrapped around his shoulders and with gestures, had the others on guard duty for anymore nasties out there.

"Shu, doing any better?" There was a hesitant nod. "Ok, then I need to ask you something, if that's alright."

"Wh-what is it?" Shu kept his eyes firmly on his shoes, not that Souji could blame him.

"Have you noticed anything... different lately? Like an itch in a specific spot or a mark."

Shu stilled beside him, tense, and Souji had his answer. "Can I ask where it is?"

It was several long minutes before Shu moved, shifting away from Souji's side, staring resolutely at the ground as he lifted the bottom of his shirt, revealing a black lightning bolt on his stomach, just to the immediate right of his navel. Souji only saw it for a moment, long enough to recognize what it represented before Shu dropped his shirt, hiding the tattoo from view.

"When did that show up, the other day when I ran into you?" Another shaky nod. "It's ok, I'm not mad or anything. I'm just glad we got to you in time."

"What happened?"

Souji hesitated, wondering how much he should tell Shu. Maybe only a little bit of the truth. "There's something going on, and I'm trying to stop it. Sadly, because of that, everyone I know is a target. I'm sorry for that, and if I could prevent it I would. I need you to be strong for me, just like you have tonight and I will do everything in my power to make it all ok." He really didn't want to tell outright lies and he figured Shu would appreciate the truth better.

"Just take me home." The barely whispered words stung, but he knew how Shu was feeling right at that moment. The kid just needed time.

"Ok, I can do that." Souji signalled for the others to maintain a perimeter just out of sight as he walked Shu home, keeping his arm around the kid despite the apparent rejection. He would do anything to protect the people he was responsible for.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Nakajima home and before the kid could disappear inside, Souji held him back.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now, but if you need anything, you call me. No exceptions. I will always protect you, Shu, whether you want me to or not. I also want you to pack up and go to the Amagi Inn if you feel even remotely threatened. I can promise you that you'll be safe there." With those words, he released his grip on Shu and the kid bolted inside, locking the front door behind him.

He walked away, feeling a sense of defeat even though they had won this night. He didn't like leaving with that feeling of rejection from Shu, but there was nothing he could actually do about it. The Social Link was solid, their bond was unbreakable, but Shu needed time and all Souji could do was give it to him.

"Let's go, we're done tonight." He took a moment to pull out his Evoker, shifting into Izanagi. He could use a patrol right about now, if only to alleviate the stress of the night and his frustrations.

* * *

Souji called a meeting the next day, just to tell the others about Shu and the Morax, the name Kanji started using to describe the bull monsters. Apparently, it was some kind of bovine type of demon, which was fitting.

Shu hadn't called him, although Souji had stopped by the house to check up on the kid. He knew all this was overwhelming in a huge way.

The rest of the week and weekend passed in a flurry of patrols, ghost hunts, possessions and recovery sessions spent patching each other up in the Dojima household. Yosuke, Yukiko and Rise were getting quite good at stitching up open gashes and making bandages.

Souji was out on another supply run for the house, gathering medical supplies when he ran into someone he hadn't expected to out near Deidara's weapons shop. He stopped to watch as Sayoko stumbled along the ravaged street, a shocked and dazed look about her.

"Sayoko-san? I thought you were in Africa. What brought you back?" He asked when she was close enough to hear him.

"Souji-kun, what's going on, what's happened here?"

Since he could always finish his shopping later, Souji led the nurse away from the destruction of the shopping district to the less shock-inducing scenery of the floodplane. There, he explained the civilian-friendly portions of the events thus far, like the ghost sightings and the diminishing condition of the town.

"You're keeping something from me, I can tell." Sayoko said after she'd had some time to process all she'd heard from Souji so far. "You don't have to tell me everything, but don't spare anything due to some misguided notion of my sensibilities. I was a trauma nurse before I came here. There wasn't much I haven't seen before."

He nodded, considering the idea. "What brought you back to Inaba in the first place?"

"I received an urgent letter from my bank. Africa wasn't going to be a permanent gig, so I needed to have some place to come back to when I was finished there." She shrugged, relatively unconcerned. "But when I came back, my account manager was confused; no one at the bank had sent any such letter."

Hearing that sent warning chills down Souji's spine, and he made a decision to reveal to Sayoko as much of the truth as she could handle. This complicated matters, and he wasn't sure how just yet, but this meant that something had brought Sayoko back to Inaba, just as something had brought him back, in the form of his parents' deaths.

Everything that had happened so far, and everything that has yet to happen; it was all a test, for him, and for the others.

What it meant, he didn't know.

Not yet, anyway.

"Sayoko, you're in danger, for as long as you stay in Inaba." He staved off her protests. "It's true, because of your connection to me. I'm being tested and everyone I know is in danger and everyone I care about, and the world beyond will die should I fail."

She stared at him for a long time, ignoring the ghosts and wraiths around them, ignoring the remnants of the sluggish Samagawa behind her, ignoring the dead fish and the blood as she seemed to search his very soul for the answers she wanted.

She must have seen something in him because she smiled, although it was kind of sad. "Then I guess that you won't fail."

He laughed bitterly, feeling the weight of his burden surrounding him. "I wish I had your faith. But seriously, it's dangerous out here, and I need you to be careful. Get inside before dark, while the sun is still in the sky and stay there until morning. If anything happens, or even if you're just worried about something, I want you to call me, and I will come to you, ok?"

She looked down briefly at the card he handed her with his cell number written on it before tucking it away in her purse. "Of course. You be careful too, Souji-kun."

Sayoko left him standing there, on the banks of the desiccated Samagawa, heading in the direction of the Amagi Inn, where she would be relatively safe under the watchful eyes of both Yukiko and Akihiko.

Souji turned away from her retreating form, going back the way they came so that he could finish his shopping, because there wouldn't be too many opportunities to stock up before the end.

* * *

Yosuke woke up to the sound of a shrill beeping, the dawn only starting to come in through the window. He recognized the sound as Souji's cell phone, so he nudged his partner awake, his elbow catching the other's ribs.

"Dude, your phone; should probably answer it." He still hadn't exactly woken up yet so he huddled back down under the blankets, stealing Souji's spot as the slightly younger teen shifted and crawled his way to his phone on the desk.

Souji managed to get to it before it rolled over into voicemail. "Hello?"

Yosuke dozed as Souji answered the call, but he woke as his lover stiffened beside him in shock. He could barely hear the person on the other end of the line, shouting frantically about something. He sighed, dragging himself out of bed in search of clothes, grabbing some for Souji while he was at it.

"Calm down, we'll be there in fifteen minutes. Call the others and have them meet us where you are." He smiled gratefully as Yosuke passed him his clothes, scrambling into them as he ended the frantic call.

"Dude, what's going on?"

"Rise wants everyone on the edge of town; something's happened that she can't explain. Apparently we need to see it to believe whatever it is." Souji shrugged, tucking his Evoker into the back of his jeans. "It's not good, I know that much."

Yosuke scowled, clipping his belt around his waist, his ninja blades secured on either side. "Damnit, we're really screwed, aren't we?"

"Kinda looks like it, yeah."

They were out the front door minutes later, and Souji could already tell that something was wrong; the air was still, too still and very quiet, and the sky shimmered oddly in the morning light. Since the closest edge of town was out by the Amagi Inn, they headed in that direction, where the rest of the team was already waiting for them.

Souji couldn't say he was actually surprised by what was there; he'd been hoping that it wouldn't happen. He walked right to the edge of the new ravine, the gaping trench gouged out of the earth, so deep he couldn't see the bottom and far too wide to even think of crossing without a bridge.

Not that they could, since that odd shimmer turned out to be a barrier, mostly translucent but solid as tempered steel, shimmering with a multitude of colors, a vast array of golds, reds and oranges, mixed with blues and greens of all shades. He raised a hand to the barrier, ignoring the static charge that sizzled at his fingertips, sending tiny arcs of blue lightning outward in all directions.

"Souji, what happens now?" Akihiko asked quietly.

"What happens now?" He turned his back on the barrier, gray eyes hardened with resolve. "We're cut off, so what happens now is we survive."

Something, or rather someone, was testing them, testing him? Fine, so be it.

He would lead them to meet the challenge head on, without faltering and without failure, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

* * *

AN: As always, let me know what you think, what could be improved, glaring errors, stuff like that, I tried to catch it all. It's always appreciated. Again, thank you all for reading.


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